UPDATE: Elkhart police confirm eye doctor, his wife found dead

Tribune Staff Report

Tools

Gabriele Eye Institute

Dr. Philip Gabriele and his wife Marcella were found dead at Gabriele Eye Institute in Elkhart on Monday, June 15, 2009. (WSBT photo)

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Jun 15, 2009 at 1:05 PM EST

Story Updated: Jun 15, 2009 at 6:45 PM EST

ELKHART — City police confirmed early Monday afternoon that the two people found dead inside Gabriele Eye Institute at 2216 Cassopolis St. Monday morning are ophthalmologist Philip J. Gabriele, 44, and his wife Marcella D. Gabriele, 43, of Granger.

The cause of death has been determined to be gunshot wounds, authorities say.

The Gabrieles, both of Granger, were indicted by a federal grand jury on suspicion of health care fraud, wire fraud and criminal conspiracy charges, prosecutors announced Friday. They were supposed to turn themselves in to authorities Monday afternoon.

Lt. Ed Windbigler said an autopsy will be performed later to determine the manner of death, but he noted, "Obviously, one was a suicide. At this point we can't say they both were."

Police responded to a call at 9:16 a.m. Monday that shots were fired inside the building. When an officer arrived on the scene, he also heard a gunshot, according to Lt. Ed Windbigler of Elkhart police.

Officers then went inside the building and found a man and a woman dead, both of apparent gunshot wounds, Windbigler said. No one else was inside the building at the time, according to police.

Two other offices of the Gabriele Eye Institute, one at 2042 E. Ireland Road, South Bend, and the other at 3730 Edison Lakes Parkway, Mishawaka, were empty this morning with no office hours posted or mentioned on office voice mails.

The part of the building housing Gabriele Eye Institute in Elkhart, which is on the south end of the office building that also houses Malibu Tanning and Rx Optional, was surrounded by police tape Monday morning.

Kari Sheffer, 21, who said she's been employed for two months at Malibu Tanning, said she arrived for work at 8:45 a.m. Monday because the business normally opens at 9 a.m. "We didn't hear anything," she said of herself and a co-worker. But when they walked out of the building , she said, "cops screamed 'Get back.' So we went back inside."

Two customers were at the tanning salon at the time, Sheffer said.

Landscaper John Johnson, of Niles, arrived at the Gabrieles' Elkhart office Monday morning to pick up a check for work he had done for them, he told The Tribune. He did landscaping for them for the past four or five years.

"I was shocked, stunned," Johnson said. "He (Philip Gabriele) was always a nice guy. He was quiet, but seemed honest."

On speculation the couple found dead inside could be the Gabrieles, Johnson said, "I never expected anything like this to happen."

Richard Doolittle, chief operating officer of Cressy & Everett Commercial in Edison Lakes, Mishawaka, called Monday morning's news of the shootings "unbelievable."

"We were shocked at the raid (of the Gabrieles' offices and home two years ago)," he said. At that time, Doolittle said, the Gabrieles were looking for space to expand, but decided to not pursue the expansion after the raid.

Philip Gabriele, Doolittle said, was "a valued member of the Edison Lakes community."

"They paid their dues and kept the building up," he said. "They appeared to be thriving."

Doolittle said the building housing the Gabriele Eye Institute in Edison Lakes was owned by someone else until about five years ago, when the Gabrieles bought it through Cressy & Everett.

The Gabrieles were accused of falsely and fraudulently diagnosing cataracts and other disorders in patients and performing unnecessary surgeries, according to a statement issued by assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Schmid.

The indictment alleged that, as part of the fraud scheme, the defendants altered patient charts and records after the fact, in an effort to make it seem as if diagnoses were accurate and correct, said Schmid, who declined to comment beyond his written statement.

Continue to check this Web site and read Tuesday's South Bend Tribune for updates on this story.

More Good Stuff

WSBT Weather

icon
Current Temp 39.3
°
More Weather

On Demand

More On Demand

Stock Quotes

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

Tonight On WSBTFull Schedule

7.00
Paid Programming
7.30
Jeopardy
8.00
The Mentalist
9.00
48 Hours Mystery
10.00
48 Hours Mystery
11.00
WSBT News
11.35
CSI: NY
12.35
CSI: NY
1.35
CSI: Miami

Question of The Day

Will the new health recommendations for women change your health screening habits?

E-mail your comments. We'll pick some to read during WSBT News at 5.

  • YES
  • NO
Today's Mortgage Rates