Couple Found Dead in Chevy Chase D.C. Home

"We were very worried," said one.

The owners of the house were described as a psychiatrist and his wife who had lived in the community, just east of the Friendship Heights Metro stop, for more than 20 years.

Web sites indicated that the psychiatrist's practice includes children and adolescents and that he maintained a home office.

The 25-year-old house was designed for energy efficiency, with rooftop solar panels, and residents praised its garden.

Neighbors said the couple were outstanding individuals with deep involvement in community activities.

A longtime resident of the area, Jim Ferstl, who is a neighborhood block captain, said it was a "horrible thought to have two people dead."

He described the area as a "perfectly safe, quiet neighborhood," where typical crimes are the occasional car break-in or stolen bicycle.

In briefing the media, Fenty said he knew he was raising more questions than providing answers, but he asked everyone "not to jump to any conclusions."

Staff writer Del Quentin Wilber contributed to this report.