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LAYTON — A Layton couple is dead in what police are calling a murder-suicide.
Police say the husband and wife died from gunshot wounds, and it was their 20-year-old daughter, home for the holidays, who found them and called 911.
Officers were called to Bret and Jill Pepper's home, 580 N. Franklin Road, at approximately 1:35 a.m. on Sunday, Layton police officer Curtis Salvensen said. Their daughter told dispatchers the couple had been fighting.
"During the course of the argument she heard several loud noises that she described as gunshots," Salvensen said.
Investigators believe it was Bret Pepper who shot his wife, and then himself. He died at the scene, police said. Jill Pepper was transported to a local hospital, where she died from her injuries.
Both Bret and Jill Pepper were in their late 30s. Salvensen said the couple's 10- and 13-year-old sons were also in the home at the time of the shooting and were staying with relatives Sunday evening.
"At this time it doesn't appear that any of the other family members knew what was going on or witnessed the incident," Salvensen said.
The couple's neighbors said there was no sign of trouble in the Pepper home, and many were shocked to learn the news of their deaths Sunday.
Salvensen said police hadn't been called to the home before, and investigators were trying to determine what led to the argument and subsequent deaths.
Contributing: Martha Ostergar
