LOWELL, MASS. (WHDH) - The man accused of murdering his former girlfriend inside an apartment in Lowell on Thursday morning was found dead Friday afternoon in the trunk of a car, authorities say.
A woman leaving an appointment at a doctor’s office on Research Place in Chelmsford found the hand of Ross Elliot, 51, sticking out of the trunk of her four-door sedan around 1:45 p.m.
Authorities say the woman immediately called police. Officers responded to the call with guns drawn. They popped the trunk and identified the deceased body as that of Elliot. They say the car was initially parked in a nearby garage before the woman drove it from Lowell to Chelmsford.
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It’s not clear when or how Elliot gained entry to the vehicle, but Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan says he died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Elliot is accused of shooting and killing Nicole White, 44. Authorities say White’s young daughter was present when she was shot dead in her Stevens Street home around 7:30 a.m.
White was rushed to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Neighbors say White was a wonderful person and a loving mother.
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The murder sparked a massive manhunt in the neighborhood. Hundreds of police officers, K9 units and helicopters scoured the Lowell Highlands area for hours Thursday without locating Elliot.
Off-duty Lowell firefighter Dave Provencher came face-to-face with Elliot for a brief moment when he found him hiding under a motorcycle tarp in his yard during the height of the manhunt. In an interview with 7News, Provencher said the gun-wielding suspect was in a “bad place” and that he expressed no desire to live.
Elliot was said to be “armed, desperate and extremely dangerous.” Court records indicated that Elliot had been charged with a slew of violent crimes in the past, including assault and battery, kidnapping, domestic assault and resisting arrest.
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Authorities say they are thankfully that Elliot was contained to the Lowell area and that no one else was injured during the manhunt.
A crime scene has been set up on Research Place and the medical examiner has been called to the scene.
White’s murder and the discovery of Elliot’s body remain under investigation.
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