Santa Monica is confronting another apparent murder-suicide, just five months after a separate tragedy involving a local couple.
Nicole Rabitzsch, 47, and her husband, Hendrick Rabitzsch, 48, were found dead Saturday night inside their home in the 3100 block of Pico Boulevard.
Both victims had suffered gunshot wounds to the head. Investigators believe Hendrick Rabitzsch shot his wife before taking his own life.
Santa Monica police said a firearm was recovered at the scene and that no one else is believed to have been involved. Authorities described the incident as isolated and said there is no continuing threat to the public.
Police said the victims’ identities were being withheld pending formal identification and notification of their next of kin by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.
Investigators estimate the shooting occurred at about 6:42 a.m. The couple was not discovered until approximately 9:40 p.m., when officers went to the residence to conduct a welfare check.
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According to her LinkedIn profile, Rabitzsch worked for nearly 13 years at an Audi dealership in downtown Los Angeles. She had also spent more than five years working for the automaker in Germany.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Santa Monica Police Department Watch Commander at 310-458-8427.
The latest deaths come roughly five months after another Santa Monica-area couple was found dead in what investigators described as an apparent murder-suicide.
Jeremy Ferguson, a senior nonprofit executive who worked on downtown Santa Monica’s business and placemaking initiatives, and his wife were found dead from gunshot wounds in April.
Ferguson had served as the city’s director of operations and was previously mayor of Milwaukie, Oregon, a position he held from 2009 through 2015.
Ferguson and his wife were both found dead with gunshot wounds in April.
