A Greenwood couple died Tuesday evening in an apparent murder-suicide, according to Logan Township Police Chief Dave Hoover.

Blase Raia shot Brooke (Zimmerman) Raia in the head with a handgun, then shot himself in the head in the basement of their home on the 600 block of South Dartmouth Lane — the culmination of a domestic dispute, based on evidence at the scene, Hoover said Wednesday.

He added that the department’s investigation was continuing.

Four children were home at the time of the incident, and a fifth came home from work a little later and discovered what had happened — approximately a half-hour earlier, Hoover said.

The call for police came at 7:30 p.m.

State police were summoned and processed the scene, taking photos and collecting evidence, which they turned over to the Logan Township Police Department, Hoover said.

The coroner’s office removed the bodies Tuesday evening, Hoover said.

Logan officers have been interviewing the children and others who had interacted with the couple Tuesday, Hoover said.

“We’re trying to backtrack — fill in the day,” Hoover said. “We’re trying to figure out a motive.”

The department is also trying to rule out definitively that there were no others involved.

Blair County Children, Youth and Family Services has placed the children with other family members, Hoover said.

Crisis workers from UPMC Altoona also helped after the incident, he said.

Blase, 39, worked as a machinist at the Juniata Locomotive Shop of Norfolk Southern, according to Jim Patterson, a retired Norfolk Southern employee.

“He was a nice guy, a good worker,” Patterson said. “He seemed well liked by his fellow workers.”

As a hobby, Blase also raced junior dragsters, then higher-level econo dragsters, said Bob Kutz, a local union leader.

Brooke, 34, worked at a local chiropractic office, according to Hoover.

She came from a racing family, Kutz said. Her father was a well-known motorcycle racer and became an announcer at a regional speedway.

“My prayers and thoughts are for the survivors — the kids and the parents,” Patterson said.

At least two GoFundMe accounts have been started to help the survivors, including one account that as of late Wednesday afternoon had generated more than $17,000.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.