Two dead in apparent homicide/suicide near Shelton

A Shelton man and a 17-month-old child died Thursday night in what the Mason County Sheriff’s Office believes was a homicide/suicide in the Lake Limerick area about 6 miles north of Shelton.

Sean Durcan, 52, was found dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, deputies said. The body of a the toddler was found nearby.

Sheriff’s deputies went to the house in the 700 block of E. Road of Tralee at about 6 p.m. after a 911 call from Durcan’s estranged wife, asking them to check on her husband and two small children.

According to the sheriff’s department, Desiree Durcan, 32, was concerned because she was unable to contact her husband after they separated and she moved to a local motel. She told deputies that he had become despondent.

When deputies arrived, they smelled a strong odor of gasoline coming from the home. They entered and found a 4-year-old boy sitting in the living room. He was escorted out of the home and reunited with his mother.

A further search of the home turned up the bodies of Durcan and the second child.

This story was originally published July 24, 2015 at 6:31 AM with the headline "Two dead in apparent homicide/suicide near Shelton."