A man found dead Thursday morning in Weslaco was a person of interest in the 1998 disappearance of his first wife, according to the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma.

James Lee Sweeten, 79, was found dead by officers with the Weslaco Police Department who responded to the Southern Comfort RV Park in reference to a suicidal male, the department stated in a news release.

In a social media post, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma said James Lee Sweeten was found deceased in an outbuilding from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had contacted Weslaco police and stated he wanted to harm himself, the post stated.

James Lee Sweeten was a “person of interest” in the disappearance and presumed death of his first wife, Peggy A. Sweeten, according to ABC affiliate KODE.

Peggy A. Sweeten was last seen in January 1998. The 52-year-old former special education teacher and grandmother disappeared from her residence without a trace, leaving her car, clothing, photos and personal mementos behind, according to the television station.

James Lee Sweeten, a former Kansas superintendent, was having an affair with Debra Hammond, a teacher in another district. Within months of Peggy Sweeten’s disappearance, James and Hammond married, KODE reported.

James Lee Sweeten’s death is being investigated by Weslaco police, and the manner of death will be determined by the Hidalgo County coroner’s office, Weslaco police announced.