Ian Hirschsohn, 78, and Kathy Harvey, 73, were enjoying their retirement when tragedy struck.
The couple, who were staying at a house near El Socorrito in Mexico, were reported missing by worried friends and family members back home. The home itself wasn't an unfamiliar property. Ian had actually been leasing it for 25 years.
While they weren't each other's first big relationship, the two seemed to get along wonderfully. According to a neighbor, Ian's kids lost their biological mother not that long ago, meaning that this may be especially tough for them to handle. The situation altogether is rough. According to officials, it looks like the couple got mixed up in a burglary gone bad.
A burglar was reportedly in the house, unaware that it was currently being occupied. After being surprised by their presence, the burglar shot both Ian and Kathy. To dispose of their remains, he threw them in a well, where the bodies were later recovered. A witness reportedly led authorities to the well in question and pointed out the man who allegedly murdered the couple.
Kathy's son is especially devastated over what happened. According to People magazine, he stated that his mom was "really enjoying retirement" and had plenty of wonderful friends. "She loved walking and traveling," he said. "She had a huge bucket list of where she wanted to go."
While a suspect is in custody, the police aren't giving out exact details on where they were found due to the active investigation currently in place. Based on the nature of what happened and the fact that both victims were in the well, police believe that foul play was at hand and are trying to officially put the pieces together.
According to family members, the couple stayed at the vacation home in Mexico often. They were there for about a week when tragedy struck. Kathy's son Robert reportedly received a text from her saying that she was looking forward to visiting a gold mine or visiting a beach while they were there.
Ian was very well-liked among his neighborhood. "He went to Mexico a lot. I'd say he went down at least every couple of months," said friend and neighbor Jim Dietz to ABC10 News. He went on to say that Ian was well-traveled and very intelligent. He, too, was baffled when the bodies were identified as being Ian and Kathy.
"He was a real gentleman," he said. "He wouldn't say an unkind word about anybody. I feel very bad for [his kids] because they lost their mother a few years ago and now they lose their father in this kind of a tragic way. My heart goes out to them."
Ian's son-in-law is reportedly in disbelief over what happened. He privately told ABC10 that he thinks this is a tragedy, yet he isn't ready to be featured on camera to talk about it. Despite the fact that the bodies were positively identified by authorities, he's reportedly still having some trouble accepting that this nightmare is a reality.
According to Metro, the navy blue Toyota Land Cruiser the couple often rode in was found right before their bodies were. Ian's son-in-law, at first, was so desperate to find the couple that he allegedly sent out a tweet that read, "my father in law Ian Hirschsohn and his girlfriend Kathy Harvey are missing in Baja, last seen in San Quintín on Saturday and due back in San Diego on 8/31 please help." He notified his followers about the type of car, but got the color wrong at first.
Once the news was reported that the couple had been found, Ian added an update to his tweet. "Update – it's being reported that my father in law Ian and his girlfriend Kathy have been located," he said. "This didn't end well. I'll make a new posting about my thoughts but I'll leave this for everyone. Hug your loved ones today, you just never know."
According to Daily Mail, the suspect is male. The publication also reports that prior to retiring, Kathy worked for three decades as a physical therapist in Chula Vista. They also believe that no motive was given, which may support the theory from People that the crime involved an unsuccessful break-in.
Together, the couple loved to travel. It's good to know that while they were alive, they served as each other's travel companions, especially this year. Going to the house in Mexico was likely considered the safer place to be as far as the virus is concerned. However, nobody could have prepared them for such a grisly ending.
While it seems as if home invasions may be on the decline due to families using technological approaches to securing their safety, they still happen. SafeWise reports that in the US, break-ins happen once every 26 seconds. They also state that the amount stolen averages somewhere in the range of $2,700.
Obviously, the lives of Ian and Kathy were priceless, and the family can never get them back. According to a SafeWise poll, 62% of the people who responded claim that the fear of break-ins is their top concern when it comes to home safety. "Burglaries also take a big emotional toll," SafeWise writes. "You may need to recover from a financial setback at the same time you're mourning the loss of things with sentimental value and the feeling of safety you had before the break-in."
Oddly enough, there's also a "season" for burglary — and the rumored burglary at Ian and Kathy's vacation home fell right into that time frame. The couple were last heard from on August 28. SafeWise states that the summertime, between June and August, is when most burglaries take place. This may be due to people taking vacations.
If the house in Mexico was often unoccupied, it makes sense as to why a burglar would assume nobody was home. That said, it's reassuring to know that burglary altogether in the US is on the decline. SafeWise states that the number of burglaries fell 12% between 2017 and 2018.
Hopefully, the families of Ian and Kathy will learn more details soon. With more information, they'll be able to get a little more closure on this tragic and unfortunate loss. At the very least, it seems like Ian and Kathy were truly loving partners, and it's great that they got to experience everything they did before someone committed this awful crime.
