Sheriff’s office confirms death of Sumter couple was murder-suicide

The deaths of a Sumter couple found inside their county home has been ruled a murder-suicide by authorities.

Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis announced Friday that autopsy results, along with evidence during the investigation, confirmed that the deaths of Thomas Rosbach, 72, and Elaine Rosbach, 73, were a murder-suicide. 

“This was a tragic event that saddens us all,” Dennis said. 

Deputies responded to a 911 call on Tuesday, Aug. 11, and found the couple deceased inside their Drayton Drive home in Dalzell and a note at the scene consistent with the evidence, according to Mark Bordeaux, public information officer for Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. 

According to Bordeaux, the 911 call was thought to have been made by Elaine Rosbach. Investigators think she shot her husband before turning the gun on herself.