TEMPLE  — The bodies of a husband and wife were discovered at their house Tuesday afternoon, both appearing to have been shot, according to a statement issued by Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Police say Thomas Masse, 60, and his wife, Michelle Masse, 59, were found dead inside their ranch-style home on Temple Road, also called Route 43, according to the release. 

The State Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct autopsies on the bodies Wednesday in Augusta.   

Evidence technicians and detectives will work into the night gathering evidence from inside the home, McCausland said.

Thomas Masse worked at Collins Enterprises on Route 2 in Wilton, and Michelle Masse worked at the Colonial Valley Motel on Wilton Road in Farmington.   

Troopers were called to the house early Tuesday after state police received a 911 call from a man in the house who was threatening to shoot himself.

Franklin County dispatchers received a call at 5:43 a.m.

The Maine State Police tactical team and negotiators arrived late morning, but efforts to communicate with the couple were not successful, according to the release.

The bodies were discovered by members of the tactical team, who entered the house at about 12:30 p.m. 

A team of state police detectives and evidence technicians were attempting to determine the circumstances of the deaths. 

A stretch of Route 43 in Temple was closed for much of Tuesday while police investigated the incident.

Temple Fire Department stopped traffic on Route 43 from the Town Office to the post office as state police dealt with an apparent shooting incident at a residence on the road. A long line of state police vehicles were parked alongside the road. (Ann Bryant/Sun Media Group)

Members of the Temple Fire Department were stopping traffic Tuesday morning on Route 43 from the Town Office to the post office while state police dealt with an incident in Temple. A long line of state police vehicles were parked along the road. (Ann Bryant/Franklin Journal)