New Mexico death of Canadian teacher, husband ruled a murder-suicide

The deaths of a Canadian teacher and her husband have been ruled a murder-suicide by New Mexico State Police.

Ursula Tammy Kokotkiewicz, 32, and Jacob Kokotkiewicz, 31, were found dead in a vehicle parked on the shoulder of a highway on Thursday morning. The couple, who lived in Flowermound, Texas, both had gunshot wounds to the head, while Jacob had a .9mm caliber handgun between his legs.

READ MORE: Canadian teacher and her husband found dead from gunshot wounds in New Mexico

Police confirmed that the deaths were a result of a murder-suicide in a press release Tuesday, adding there was no “external party” involved in the deaths.

“Electronic devices were located in the vehicle which will be analyzed for evidentiary purposes as to a possible motive,” the release read.

The couple’s bodies were found in a parked Dodge pickup truck on the Interstate 40 around 9 a.m. local time, by an officer who was on traffic control duty. The vehicle was still running.

Ursula studied at the University of Toronto, according to her Facebook profile, which is listed under the name Tammy Rhea James.

WATCH: Canadian teacher found dead from gunshot wounds in New Mexico

0:26 Canadian teacher found dead from gunshot wounds in New Mexico

Following news of Ursula’s death, her Instagram page drew tributes and messages expressing shock.

“Beautiful girl, I can’t believe it. So devastated. Thinking of your lovely self and your family at this horrific time,” a user named jordanellis_x wrote.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Beautiful girl, I can't believe it. So devastated. Thinking of your lovely self and your family at this horrific time," a user named jordanellis_x wrote.

Another comment urged people to donate to a GoFundMe page dedicated to raising funds for her funeral in Canada.

— With files from Global News reporter Rahul Kalvapallé