A man and woman are dead after an apparent murder-suicide in the southwest valley, Las Vegas police said.

Las Vegas police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in the southwest valley. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @vegasphotograph

Las Vegas police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in the southwest valley. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @vegasphotograph

A 20-year-old woman told her family she intended to leave her boyfriend. Two days later, the couple was discovered dead in an apparent murder-suicide in southwest Las Vegas.

The woman and her boyfriend were found dead Thursday morning from gunshot wounds at Cantera At Coronado Ranch Apartments, 7600 S. Rainbow Blvd., the Metropolitan Police Department said.

“The most dangerous part in any domestic violence situation is when the victim goes to leave,” homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said Thursday.

Maintenance workers at found the couple inside an apartment just after 11:30 a.m. when they showed up to do some repair work, Spencer said.

Evidence indicates the fatal shootings were a murder-suicide, said Spencer, standing in the complex parking lot Thursday. A handgun was found next to the man’s body.

In a phone call Tuesday, the woman told a family member she wanted to leave her boyfriend, he said.

The next day, the woman’s family asked police to check on her because they hadn’t heard from her. Police responded but found nothing out of the ordinary, Spencer said. The apartment door was closed, and police couldn’t find the man or woman.

Her family filed a missing persons report about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Police spoke with some neighbors although they, too, didn’t report anything unusual, Spencer said. Metro had no prior history of domestic violence involving the man or woman, who both moved to the Las Vegas Valley in February.

Resources are available to those victimized by domestic violence, Spencer said. He recommended the Family Justice Center at 861 N. Mojave Road to those in need of help. The facility, which officially opened in March, offers a place for victims to seek free legal advice, file police reports, find temporary housing and get help filing protection orders.

The Clark County coroner’s office will release the identities of the man and woman once their families are notified. The office also will determine their causes and manners of death.

Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.