A gay couple were found dead in their $1.5million Houston home on Thursday and cops suspect it was a murder-suicide.
Police officers responded to the five-bedroom home on the 4000 block of Markham Street around 9:30pm, after a friend of the couple called police about a concerning text message they received.
They were named on Friday afternoon as Laura Mercier creative director Benjamin Ruiz, 52, and his partner Rene Ruiz, 62.
The pair lived a glamorous, international lifestyle and had homes in Mexico. They recently vacationed in Buenos Aires and mingled with celebrities thanks to Benjamin’s high-flying job.
Benjamin Ruiz, 52, and Rene Ruiz, 62, were found dead in their home in Houston on Thursday night of a suspected murder suicide
On Thursday night, a friend received a worrying text message and went round to check on them.
When they got no answer, they called 911. Officers arrived and found the pair dead upstairs.
‘At this time it appears to be a murder-suicide,’ Houston Police Department investigator Blake Roberts said.
They had been together for 20 years, but were getting divorced.
The day before, they listed their home for $1.5million, as part of their divorce settlement.
Benjamin was a high-flying creative director for the make-up brand Laura Mercier and mingled with celebrities as part of his work. He is pictured with Mercier (left) and Brooke Shields (right)
The men were found dead in their $1.5million Houston, Texas home Thursday night. The home is seen above
Their nearly 4,000-square-foot home was put up for sale the day before the couple was found dead
The home’s listing say it’s an Edwardian-style English city home with ‘custom touches’.
It was not the couple’s only home. They also had a property in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, which they visited for New Year recently.
Benjamin gushed about the property in interviews about his work, saying it was where he went to relax.
Cops said that no suicide note was left behind, and added that they have never been called to the home before for domestic incidents.
It is not clear what Rene did for a living.
Unlike his husband, who was busy on social media, he does not appear to have had any online profile.
The couple travelled frequently and were recently in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Mexico’s Puerto Vallarta, where they have a home. It is not clear what Rene (right) did for a living