Police believe a man who had been accused of stealing from his job at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation may have killed the wife of a foundation executive -- before killing himself.
The stunning events unfolded Tuesday afternoon in Potomac, Maryland, not far from the foundation's headquarters in Bethesda.
Investigators believe that Andrew Racca, 42, of Chevy Chase, killed 57-year-old Carolyn Mattingly in her home, according to a statement from Montgomery County police.
Both victims died of gunshot wounds, police revealed Friday.
Mattingly's body had been set on fire, and was discovered when rescuers responded to a report of a fire in the home's garage.
That wasn't the first time police had been to Mattingly's home that day: Earlier in the afternoon, Mattingly reported that someone had slashed the tires on a car at her home.
And just one hour previously, police had found Racca, dead, in a car that had crashed nearby, on Piney Meetinghouse Road. A gun was also found in the car.
There was no known relationship between Mattingly and Racca, police said -- other than the fact that Racca worked at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, where Mattingly's husband, C. Richard Mattingly, is the executive vice president and chief operating officer.
On Monday, management of the foundation had met with Racca, "regarding allegations that Racca was involved in workplace theft," the police statement said. Management also told Racca that they would have to report the allegations to police.
Suspect and male homeowner have employee/employer relationship. Yesterday, internal issue at work re: suspect's employment duties. — Montgomery Co Police (@mcpnews) October 1, 2014
Investigating deaths as murder-suicide. Believe issues began in the workplace. Male homeowner on Great Elm and male suspect work together. — Montgomery Co Police (@mcpnews) October 1, 2014
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"We are devastated by the tragic death of Carolyn Mattingly," the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation said in a statement Wednesday afternoon, adding that the foundation was cooperating fully with the police investigation.
"Our greatest concern is for the welfare of the Mattingly family, and we share our deepest sympathies with them during this extraordinarily difficult time," the statement read.
As they work to unravel the cases, Montgomery County Police revealed the suspected timeline of events.
At 1:15 p.m. Tuesday -- slightly more than an hour before the deaths -- police were called to the Mattingly house on Great Elm Drive for a report of vandalism. Carolyn Mattingly told police that all four tires of a car in her driveway had been flattened. She spoke with police, telling them her husband was at work. The police then left the home.
At 2:23 p.m., authorities got a call about a crash. Racca's body was found in a Mercedes sedan that had crashed into a tree at the intersection of River Road and Piney Meetinghouse Road. There was a pistol on the seat next to him.
Just one minute later, another emergency call came in, this one about a fire at a nearby house on Great Elm Drive. Authorities found the body of a woman in the garage after they extinguished a small fire there.
Investigators soon suspected a connection between the deaths because of the timing and proximity of the scenes.
"It's a tragedy out here," said neighbor David Andrukitis. "We've never had anything like this."
Authorities said Wednesday they weren't sure whether Racca was associated with the vandalism case, but they're working to determine more.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
