Son Finds Parents Shot Dead

A Vista couple was found shot to death Wednesday in what authorities believe was a murder-suicide.

The bodies of Gertrude and Charles Gross were discovered by their son, Thomas Gross, about 7 a.m., said Sheriff’s Lt. John Tenwolde.

Thomas Gross, an Army staff sergeant, found his mother’s body in the garage in the 100 block of Beaumont Drive.

Gertrude Gross, 68, had been shot in the head, Tenwolde said. Charles Gross, 71, a revolver in his hand, was found in the den slumped over a desk.

Charles Gross apparently died of a bullet wound to the head from a .38-caliber revolver, said Robert Engel, a deputy coroner. An autopsy on Gertrude Gross is scheduled for today.

Tenwolde said family members told sheriff’s deputies there had been “a long history of discord” between the two. But news of the deaths shocked neighbors.

Although Connie Verebel, who lives across the street from the Gross household, did not see the couple together very often, she did say, “They were both really neat, tidy people. They were always working on their yard. . . . She always waved at me and said hello whenever I saw her.”

A neighbor who shared the driveway with them described them as “a wonderful couple.”

George O’Hern said he had known the couple seven or eight years. O’Hern said he and Charles Gross often worked on home projects together. “We would repair the sprinklers together, the mail boxes. We had a lot of fun together.”

O’Hern said Charles Gross could not walk much, but Gertrude Gross took daily walks in the neighborhood.

Gertrude had been scheduled to leave for her native Germany today, O’Hern said. The couple, he said, “seemed happy together.”