A 57-year-old Stamford woman shot her mother in the back with a double-barreled shotgun and then turned the gun on herself, police said Friday evening.
Florence Beran, 85, was confirmed by Capt. Richard Conklin as being the owner of 1214 Long Ridge Road and victim of what police are calling a murder-suicide.
Beran's daughter, Susan, is believed to have committed the act because the house was in the middle of a tax sale, the family more than $50,000 behind on their taxes. Conklin confirmed the family had recently had the electricity turned off.
The scene was discovered around 1 p.m. Friday when a uniformed officer was responding to a call from a concerned neighbor who had lent the family money previously and knew they were in a difficult financial situation.
The neighbor had not seen either of the pair in a couple days and became worried. An officer took a ladder to investigate the second floor after knocks at the door went unanswered. It was then that he discovered the scene through a window.
The family had four dogs that were relegated to the Stamford Animal Control Office. Additionally, authorities also found dozens of handguns, shotguns and rifles at the home, Conklin said.
The owner of the weapons, Jospeh Beran, Florence's husband, had died 6 years earlier.
"To discover something like this, it's just so unnecessary," Conklin said. "Especially two days before Mother's Day. We live in a blessed country. There are all types of social services to reach out to, don't let yoruself become isolated. It's tragic."
