Port Jefferson couple found dead in apparent murder-suicide at Oakwood Road home

A Port Jefferson couple was discovered dead in their Oakwood Road home Monday morning in an apparent murder-suicide, the Suffolk County Police Department said. Sixth Precinct officers responded to a welfare check requested after a woman at the address failed to appear at work and found both residents dead of gunshot wounds.

“Officers responded to an Oakwood Road residence about 11:07 a.m. and discovered Valerie Kopetic, 63, and Paul Trefimovich, 68, dead of gunshot wounds, according to a Suffolk police news release,” police reports said. Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives are leading the investigation and have concluded that Trefimovich allegedly shot Kopetic before turning the gun on himself.

“Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives said Sixth Precinct officers carried out a request for a welfare check at an Oakwood Road home at 11:07 a.m. after a woman who lived there, 63-year-old Valerie Kopetic, failed to show up for work,” investigators added in subsequent reporting. Some accounts note the welfare check was prompted by a call from Kopetic’s employer; authorities have not released additional workplace details.

Officers discovered two residents dead at the scene, a fact investigators have emphasized as they process the immediate crime scene. “When officers arrived at the home, they discovered two residents dead from gunshot wounds, police said.” The Homicide Squad has not released information on a motive, weapon specifics, or autopsy findings; those elements remain part of the active investigation.

Police ask anyone with information to contact the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad. “Police ask anyone with information to call the Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392.” The same number has appeared in reporting as 631.852.6392. Tips from neighbors or Kopetic’s workplace could be important as detectives seek to reconstruct the hours leading up to the welfare check.

Images circulated with early accounts include a photo credited to James Carbone and a News 12 Long Island image whose metadata is dated Feb. 9, 2026, consistent with Monday’s timeline. The Homicide Squad is expected to release further details as forensic work and interviews continue.

For Port Jefferson residents, the case is a stark reminder of how missed work and routine employer checks can trigger lifesaving welfare responses, and how sudden violent incidents reverberate through small communities. Authorities continue to investigate, and anyone with relevant information is urged to call the Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392 or 631.852.6392.