IRONDEQUOIT, NY – A harrowing incident unfolded when a 24-year-old man murdered his 80-year-old grandfather before committing suicide, leading police to enforce a temporary closure and evacuation of a New York state park while they hunted for the suspect.
The young man, Andrew Vahey, ended his life on a hiking path in Letchworth State Park as law enforcement agencies closed onto him during an intensive search along the Genesee River, shared Irondequoit Police Chief Scott Peters during a news briefing.
Earlier in the day, police responding to a 911 call had discovered the body of the elderly man, Joseph Deponceau, in his house in Irondequoit. Authorities labeled Vahey as the main suspect in the murder.
Further investigation revealed that Vahey’s roommate had received texts from him stating that he had just killed his grandfather and intended to end his own life, narrated Peters.
According to Peters, when law enforcement officers, who spotted Vahey with a long gun in the park at about 12:30 p.m., tried to reach out to him, he immediately turned the gun on himself.
The police chief disclosed that Vahey and Deponceau had recently been involved in a heated argument over property issues. He added that officers were called to Deponceau’s residence the previous week due to a family conflict concerning parking on the grass.