‘It’s very shocking’: Penn Yan Police investigate suspected murder-suicide, next door to a killing last year

Penn Yan Police investigate suspected murder-suicide, next door to a killing last year

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PENN YAN, N.Y. — Police are investigating a suspected murder-suicide in the Village of Penn Yan, just one year after a similar situation occurred on the same street.

Michael Personale and Ashley Manaco, a married couple, were found dead in their Franklin Street home. Personale was shot multiple times, while investigators say Manaco died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“Yeah. Completely shocked, of course, because stuff like that doesn’t happen, you know, in our town,” neighbor Stacey Nesbit said. “It’s very shocking for the whole neighborhood for sure.”

Nesbit has lived near Franklin Street since she was 14 years old. She tells News10NBC that this isn’t the only incident that’s happened on Franklin Street. At the house right next door, a similar incident occurred just over one year ago.

“So it was an older gentleman who had dementia and just attacked his wife. And, you know, he was, he was a nice man. So it’s not like he would ever do it intentionally. So that was really shocking too,” Nesbit said.

In July of this year, Nesbit’s father, Dan Maroney, bought the house where last year, 89-year-old Ronald Salyer was accused of killing his wife, Jane Salyer. He says it felt strange, after hearing what allegedly happened right next door.

“Same thing happened with the guy and lady living in this house. It just seemed weird, weird … I didn’t know what to do. I just went back in my house and watched TV and saw all the cop cars out in front of my house for the next two hours. And then I went to bed at 11 and they were still out there. Saw one guy come out with a white suit on. So I knew something was going on. I didn’t know anything about them dying,” Maroney said.

Penn Yan Police Chief Thomas Dunham tells News10NBC the couple in Tuesday’s killing has no record of domestic abuse.

“We have no history here of, you know, any type of domestic abuse or, you know, what would have led to this. That’s something we’re looking into. But there’s no history here of ongoing domestic abuse or anything like that. … We found five shell casings from the revolver downstairs. So it appears that it was fired, reloaded and fired again,” Chief Dunham said.

Police say they’re working to provide support to those affected by this incident.

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