Elderly couple dead in Death Valley National Park murder-suicide

An elderly couple were found dead from an apparent murder-suicide in California’s Death Valley National Park after the husband called 911 saying he had just killed his wife and planned to take his own life, authorities said.

Paul Fischer, 73, and Mary Fischer, 72, of Las Vegas, were discovered dead on Jan. 13, but information about the incident was only released by the National Park Service Wednesday.

Paul Fischer called the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office that day and confessed to killing his wife, according to a press release from the agency.

The septuagenarian said he intended to commit suicide and told a 911 operator where to find his and his wife’s bodies.

First responders recovered a note inside the Fischers’ car, which explained that Mary was suffering from “chronic health conditions.”

The Park Service’s statement did not say how the couple died.

Law enforcement officials from the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office, the Inyo County Coroner’s Office, the National Park Service, the California Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Land Management responded to the incident.

Attempts by The Post to reach the couple’s family members for comment were not immediately successful.