Eastchester teacher, husband found dead in apparent murder-suicide in yonkers

Yonkers, NY – On Wednesday at approximately 7:00 AM, the Yonkers Police Department responded to a call about an unconscious individual at a residence on 142 Chittenden Avenue. Upon arrival, officers found two adults: a male with a fatal gunshot wound to the head and a female with multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency personnel attempted to save the woman’s life, but she was declared deceased at the scene. The victims have been identified as 54-year-old Sean O’Neill and 47-year-old Arlene O’Neill.

O’Neill was a fifth-grade teacher at Anne Hutchinson Elementary School in the Eastchester School District.

“The EUFSD is shocked and saddened by this development, and has mobilized the district crisis team, as well as resources from neighboring districts including Bronxville and Southern Westchester BOCES in order to provide comfort to students, faculty and other staff members as they process this news,” the district said in a statement.

Detectives from the Major Case Squad and Crime Scene Unit conducted an investigation, revealing the incident to be a murder-suicide. Authorities determined that a domestic dispute led Sean O’Neill to fatally shoot his wife multiple times before shooting himself.

Sean O’Neill was a retired NYPD officer, and Arlene O’Neill was employed as a teacher in Eastchester Union Free School District. The couple’s three children were at home during the incident, but they were not physically harmed. They are currently under the care of family members.

The Yonkers Police Department and the City of Yonkers have expressed their condolences to the O’Neill

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