Couple in their 40s found shot dead in car; Shin Bet reportedly involved in probe

A man and woman in their 40s were found shot dead in their car in a field outside central Israel’s Mishmar Ayalon community on Friday, first responders said.

Police initially believed that the couple died in a murder-suicide, but were backing away from that assessment. Hebrew media reported that the Shin Bet security service is involved in the investigation, which could indicate the possibility of a terror motive.

Relatives were said to have told police that the suggestion of murder-suicide of the couple — parents of a 17-year-old child — did not fit the family’s history.

A gag order has been issued on the case, meaning that the victims cannot be publicly named.

Police said the couple had informed relatives on Friday morning that they were going hiking, without specifying where. The family later reported the couple missing after they failed to answer multiple phone calls throughout the day.

Police then geo-located the couple’s phones, pinpointing their location to an open area outside the Mishmar Ayalon community in the Gezer Regional Council. Medics who arrived there pronounced the couple dead on the scene.

Police initially assumed it was a murder-suicide even though no weapon was found at the scene.

According to a police source cited by Haaretz, police arrested three people near the scene of the shooting on suspicion of having taken the gun that was used. The weapon has not been found.

An initial investigation found the man had a gun license, according to police. The Haaretz police source said the man had the license because he worked as a security guard, but that the gun he was licensed to use was found locked in a safe in the couple’s home.