UPDATE (Monday, May 14, 2018): The preliminary autopsy results of the man and woman who were found dead in their Townsend home on Saturday are consistent with murder-suicide, according to the Blount County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office said the autopsies were conducted Sunday at the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.
Deputies found Kenneth Allan Jacobs, 69, and Melinda Howes Jacobs, 59, after a welfare check at their home around 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
At first, investigators believed there may be a suspect barricaded inside the home with a weapon. When law enforcement officers made their approach, they said they heard a gunshot from inside the home.
When communication with the individuals could not be established, members of the sheriff's office SWAT and Crisis Negotiation teams entered and found the pair dead.
ORIGINAL STORY (Saturday, May 12, 2018): The Blount County Sheriff's Office says two people were found dead inside a Townsend home following a barricade incident Saturday afternoon.
Deputies say its SWAT team was on the scene at the home off of Kelly Ridge Road in the Laurel Valley neighborhood around 12:30 p.m.
Officials say they received information that a man, 69-year-old Kenneth Allan Jacobs, was barricaded in the home. Deputies say after attempting to negotiate with the residents inside, they made entry into the home to find both Kenneth and Melinda Howes Jacobs, 59, dead.
The investigation is ongoing, deputies say.