The festive spirit of Christmas turned tragic for an Atlanta police officer, who allegedly took the life of his girlfriend before committing suicide. This heartbreaking incident followed a holiday gathering with friends.
Atlanta Police have identified the alleged perpetrator, an off-duty officer named Kevin Stroner, aged 56. His girlfriend, Moriah Cardona, 44, was also discovered lifeless at the scene. Authorities are treating the case as a suspected murder-suicide, according to an incident report.
Investigators revealed that both individuals died from gunshot wounds to the head.
Concerned friends prompted Atlanta Police to respond to Stroner’s residence in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood around 4 p.m. on December 27, after they dialed 911.
In a recorded 911 call, a male voice is heard stating, “There’s two bodies deceased in the back bedroom. There’s blood everywhere.”
According to the caller, after receiving no response at the front door, he ventured to the back of the house, peered through a window, and saw the tragic scene with a firearm positioned between the two bodies.
“We’ve been looking for them for days, since Christmas,” the caller said, before adding that the victims were both lying “head to head” on the floor and “were not moving at all.”
Friends told police, according to the incident report, that the couple attended a Christmas Day holiday party at a local bar, where Stroner was playing with a band, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The couple was last seen around 9 p.m. that night.
When they were discovered dead inside the home, police said they were “wearing the same clothing” they had been wearing on Christmas Day.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled Cardona’s death a homicide, while her boyfriend’s manner of death was declared a suicide.
“This is an isolated incident,” police noted in a statement, “and we are not looking for any outstanding suspect(s) at this time.”
At the time of his death, Stroner had been a 13-year veteran of the Atlanta Police Department, CBS News reported.
The investigation into the deaths remains ongoing.
