PACKWOOD, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say an ailing man fatally shot himself after killing his wife at their home in southeast Iowa. The Jefferson County attorney’s office said in a news release Tuesday that 79-year-old Franklin Neff had called family and friends Monday, telling them he’d killed his wife, 75-year-old Enola Neff, and was going to shoot himself at their home in Packwood. Arriving deputies found that Enola Neff had died and that Franklin Neff had a head wound likely inflicted by a handgun found next to him. Authorities say he died later Monday.

Deputies discovered a note from Franklin Neff that indicated he and his wife had health issues and that he didn’t want them to be a burden on their family. Packwood is a town of about 200 people in Jefferson County.