Officials said it appeared Robert Lintz had shot his wife once in the head with a handgun, before turning the gun on himself.

A home care nurse discovered an elderly couple shot dead in an apparent murder-suicide at a Lakeland home on Saturday, deputies said.

Investigators were called to a home on Goldenview Lane in Lakeland after a nurse reported finding 83-year-old Renee Lintz and her 84-year-old husband, Robert Lintz, shot dead in their kitchen.

Deputies said the pair, who had been married for about 60 years, suffered from "significant medical issues."

After an initial investigation, officials said it appeared Robert Lintz had shot his wife once in the head with a handgun, before turning the gun on himself.

Polk County homicide detectives are investigating the shooting, described by officials as an apparent murder-suicide.

According to Polk authorities, Robert Lintz was a retired law-enforcement officer who served with the Chicago police from 1953 to 1979.

An autopsy is scheduled to be conducted by the Polk County Medical Examiner's Office on Sunday, officials said.