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A North Carolina police officer and his wife are dead, and a double homicide investigation is underway after investigators found both of them gunned down in their home during a wellness check, according to authorities.
Officer Domingo Tavarez-Rodriguez failed to show up to work on Friday, April 28, according to Fayetteville Police Chief Kemberle Braden.
Supervisors tried to reach him by phone but could not get in touch, Braden said. Around 6 p.m., they went to the house in person.
"Once on scene, officers gained access to the residence and located two deceased individuals inside," Braden told reporters during an 11 p.m. news briefing.
Fayetteville Police Officer Domingo Tavarez-Rodriguez and his wife, Yenitza Arroyo Torres, pose together in a January photo. (Facebook)
"The victims have been identified as Domingo Tavarez-Rodriguez, a Fayetteville police officer, and his wife, Yenitza Arroyo Torres," Braden said. "Both victims had sustained gunshot wounds."
The chief gave few other details surrounding the deaths.
Braden said he was limited in what he could address after Fayetteville police requested the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation take the case because it involves an active-duty police officer.
SBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Fayetteville Officer Domingo Tavarez-Rodriguez in uniform alongside a selfie of his wife, Yenitza Torres. Both were found dead in their home Friday with gunshot wounds. (Fayetteville Police, Facebook)
"My mother did not deserve to die this way; we are in so much pain; it was not her time to go," Torres' daughter, Doris Noemi, wrote on Facebook. "I try to remember her with her smile, but knowing I’m not going to talk to my mother ever again kills me."
Attempts to contact her directly were unsuccessful.
Tavarez-Rodriguez, whose friends called him "Mingo," joined the force in June 2021, the chief said.
Domingo Tavarez-Rodriguez retired from the military before joining the Fayetteville Police Department in 2021, according to Chief Kemberle Braden. (Facebook)
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Prior to becoming a police officer, the 53-year-old had retired from the military.
"Domingo was a stand-up guy who always looked out for his family, friends, and soldiers," a friend, Jason Torres, wrote on Facebook. "I’m grateful to have been able to serve with him in the U.S. Army. He was a great squad leader to me."
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