Elderly couple found dead after fire in Attleboro home identified

Couple identified by prosecutors

The Bristol County District Attorney's Office on Thursday identified the two people found dead inside a home on Andover Avenue in Attleboro, Massachusetts, as Carol Courtemanche, 78, and Paul Courtemanche, 76. The couple was married and lived in the house, according to the district attorney's office as reported by WJAR and WBSM. ^{[1] [4]}

District Attorney Thomas Quinn III's office released the names a day after the discovery. In its release, quoted by Patch, the office said: "This matter is not deemed suspicious and no further information is available at this time." ^{[3] [5]}

What responders found

Attleboro police and firefighters were called to the single-family home shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14. WBSM reported that the 911 call came from a home health worker who asked for a welfare check, and WJAR's initial report also described a welfare-check request from a health aide. ^{[2] [4]}

Firefighters extinguished a smoldering fire on the first floor, and first responders noted obvious fire damage and heavy soot, according to the district attorney's office. Police who entered the home found a man and a woman on the first floor, and both were pronounced dead. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

A family pet was also found dead inside. Early reports said the animal was a dog; police later said it was a cat, WJAR reported. ^{[2] [1]}

Investigation continues

Although officials have said the deaths are not considered suspicious, the case remains under investigation. The agencies involved are Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the district attorney's office, the State Fire Marshal's Office and the Attleboro police and fire departments. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

In a joint release on Wednesday, police and fire officials said a preliminary investigation found the incident to be non-suspicious, while the causes of the deaths and of the fire were still being determined, WJAR reported. As of Thursday, authorities had not publicly released a cause of death or said how the fire started. ^{[2] [1]}

Neighbors remember the couple

Neighbor Keith Wyman told WJAR the couple had lived in the home for years and that neighbors had not seen them for a few days before Wednesday. "They're just going to be missed. They're just great people," he said. ^[2]

The Fall River Reporter wrote that people who knew the Courtemanches described them as "sweet people who touched the lives of many." ^[5]