A tragic and deeply unsettling story has come out of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, where a couple married for 34 years was found dead in their home in what police believe to be a murder-suicide. The heartbreaking incident unfolded on January 18, and it began with a chilling message posted on Facebook by the husband, George Lesniak, just minutes before the tragedy.
The Fuquay-Varina Police Department shared in a news release that they responded to a call about gunshots at the Lesniaks’ home at 6:03 p.m. When officers arrived, they discovered 63-year-old George and his wife, 59-year-old Cathleen, both dead from gunshot wounds. Police stated that George’s injuries appeared to be self-inflicted.
Adding to the devastating nature of the case was a Facebook post George made at 6:00 p.m., just three minutes before the first call reporting gunshots. In the post, which has since been deleted, George wrote: “My wife admitted to cheating on me so I killed her, I’m about to kill myself.” He ended the message with a grim note to the group he was posting in, saying, “Figure this group out for yourselves.”
The Facebook group George posted in was a private online community dedicated to technicians working with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). George was the group’s administrator. After the incident, the group changed its settings to private.
The couple had been involved in the automotive industry throughout their careers. According to the New York Post, George was the vice president of training at Autel Automotive Intelligence until September 2024, while Cathleen worked as a technical production manager at Advanced Auto Parts. Their professional lives may have been separate, but a photo from December on George’s Facebook page shows a romantic moment of the couple kissing on a dance floor, a memory that now feels hauntingly bittersweet.
As the community processes this shocking event, police described the case as “deeply tragic” and “complex.” While investigators are confident there is no danger to the public, they are conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths. For now, the police have not officially ruled the case a murder-suicide, though all signs appear to point to that conclusion.
This tragic story serves as a painful reminder of the importance of mental health support. If you or someone you know is struggling with emotional distress or thoughts of self-harm, help is available through the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
