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The Lorain County Coroner's Office ruled the shooting deaths of an Elyria couple a probable murder-suicide, and a 911 recording later released by authorities showed that the husband reached a call taker after the shooting but that the call ended before dispatchers understood what he was reporting, according to police and The Chronicle-Telegram.

Virgil McCoy, 63, and his wife, Margaret McCoy, 65, were found shot to death inside their home in Elyria, about 25 miles southwest of Cleveland, after a relative went to the house and discovered the bodies, authorities said. Dr. Stephen Evans of the coroner's office said the evidence pointed to a murder-suicide. Investigators recovered a revolver and three other firearms in the residence.

On the recording, Virgil McCoy tried to tell the operator that he had shot his wife, but the call taker spoke over him and did not make out the statement, according to accounts of the released call. The call was transferred to Elyria police, and the cellphone connection dropped before officers could establish an address. The couple was not found until roughly 14 hours later.

Neighbors described the McCoys as a settled couple who had been married about a dozen years and had shown no sign of trouble. They told reporters they had seen Virgil McCoy walking his dog the day before the bodies were found. Margaret McCoy worked at a shelter for victims of domestic violence, according to news accounts.

A recording of the 911 call, which runs about a minute, was made public by authorities in October 2011, months after the deaths. The coroner's finding that McCoy had killed his wife and then himself meant no charges were filed.