A Beaufort County couple was found dead in their home on Gallberry Road, north of Washington on Saturday.

The couple, Dr. Johnson “JP” Draughon Jr., 58, and Tiffany Everett Draughon, 48, had been married two years.

Saturday, an employee of Tiffany Draughon went to the couple’s residence — he hadn’t heard from Tiffany Draughon on Friday and became concerned, according to Major Kenneth Watson, spokesman for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

“He called and reported that he could see the two inside and on the floor. I don’t know that he could characterize them as being dead, but he knew that something was wrong,” Watson said.

When deputies arrived shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday, the house was found locked, the couple inside, dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Watson said there was no sign of a break-in or struggle at the home.

A .380 handgun was recovered by investigators, along with evidence indicating the weapon had been fired at the scene, Watson said.

“We can’t say that the weapon is the definitive weapon that fired the bullets that struck the two victims,” Watson said, adding that investigators are currently working with the medical examiner’s office and will be sending off evidence to be analyzed by the SBI.

It is unclear whether the weapon belonged to either of the deceased.

“We’re looking into when and where the handgun was purchased and who it was purchased by,” Watson said.

Watson said the couple had no history of domestic violence with the Sheriff’s Office and declined to comment further on the physical circumstances of the Draughons’ deaths.

“We have not collected evidence that would indicate a third party is involved at this point in the investigation,” Watson said. “The worst thing we can do is jump to conclusions.”

Tiffany Everett Draughon was a 1984 graduate of Washington High School and grew up working at the family business, Slatestone Grocery. She previously managed Elks Rest Home in Washington and most recently, owned and managed multiple rental properties in Beaufort County. Dr. Johnson Pruett Draughon Jr. was a 1996 graduate of Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.