PAGOSA SPRINGS, Colo. - An Arizona couple followed through with a decades-long plan to end their lives before the ravages of old age took their toll.
Lansing C. Holden, 83, and his wife, Carol, 78, were found shot to death July 26 in a remote cabin south of Pagosa Springs. Archuleta County Coroner Carl Macht said Wednesday that the deaths had been classified as a murder-suicide.
The Holdens were longtime residents of Sedona. They came to southwest Colorado in mid-July, rented a home in a scenic location and ended their lives lying side by side, Macht said.
Lansing Holden shot his wife in the right temple and then turned the gun on himself, Macht said.
The couple e-mailed the homeowner before the shooting and asked that a cleaning lady be sent by. She discovered the bodies July 26 - about a day after they had been shot.
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The Holdens were members of the Final Exit Network, a nonprofit that promotes "the right of every adult to a peaceful, dignified death," according to its Web site. Members receive consultations about suicide methods.
She wore an orange plastic bracelet that read, "Do not resuscitate" from the Hemlock Society, a national right-to-die organization.
Such groups typically recommend less-violent means of death, like a lethal dose of medication, rather than a gunshot.
The Holdens had a daughter who lives in California. They discussed their plans with her as early as the 1970s or 1980s, the daughter told authorities.
She was distraught to learn of her parents' deaths, Macht said.
The Holdens were in fairly good condition considering their age, Macht said. Lansing Holden had the beginnings of heart disease, and she had digestive problems.
Lansing Holden spent his career as an architect in the East; Carol Holden was a former editor at Time. They retired to an island in their 40s and later moved to Arizona.
They left behind a suicide note notarized March 3 in Arizona.
