Background: News footage of the Chavis home, where the couple was found dead on Monday (WECT). Inset: Joann Chavis and Ted Chavis (Facebook).

The Hoke County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Joann Chavis, 46, and her husband, Ted Chavis, 53, were discovered stabbed to death in their Raeford residence on Monday. The primary suspect in this chilling double homicide was identified as their 17-year-old foster child, referred to as D.P.

Following the identification of the suspect, police tracked D.P. to the Boys & Girls Homes in Lake Waccamaw, approximately 80 miles from Raeford. Upon locating his vehicle, officers confronted D.P., who tragically died by suicide with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, as stated by Hoke County authorities.

Local news outlet NBC affiliate WECT reported that a representative from the Boys & Girls Homes clarified that the Chavises were not affiliated with their foster program. The spokesperson refrained from commenting on any juveniles potentially involved with their care services.

Local NBC affiliate WECT reported that a spokesperson from Boys & Girls Homes said that the Chavises were not foster parents through that organization. The spokesperson added that they would not comment on “any juvenile who may or may not have been in our programs of care.”

After an investigation that spanned multiple counties, police did not provide a possible motive for the killings or why the victims’ foster son went to Boys & Girls Homes.

Sheriff’s deputies first responded to the Chavis home on a call for a cardiac arrest. Police said evidence at the scene led them to identify the couple’s foster son as the suspect, but specifics were not provided. The Hoke County Sheriff’s Office stated that the investigation is ongoing and is being led by the State Bureau of Investigation.