Three children escape murder-suicide where dad 'killed mum'
Three children have reportedly escaped a horrific murder-suicide in their family home which has left two of them completely orphaned.
The man and woman who lived with the three children – aged 13, four and three – were found dead on Tuesday night (local time) inside the property in Oxford, Massachusetts in the United States.
Investigators are treating it as a murder-suicide with authorities initially telling media at a press conference at the time of the incident it was "a tragic case of domestic violence within the house".
The three children were at the home when the violence occurred with the 13-year-old escaping out the window with a younger sibling to alert authorities, NBC Boston reported.
"The 13-year-old is a pretty courageous young kid," district attorney Joe Early Jr. told local media.
"He took the four-year-old in his arms, opened the window, ran out the window to a neighbour's house, that neighbour also called 911."
When police arrived at the scene they reportedly rescued the 3-year-old child before discovering the couples' bodies.
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"When they got to the house they found a woman deceased in the kitchen who had died apparently from a gunshot wound," Early said.
"Behind the house, they found a male who lived in the house as well, also dead."
Investigators believe the father killed his partner before taking his own life.
The couple had two children together and one is from a previous marriage, authorities said.
Both the mother and father had reportedly called police during the violent altercation.
"The woman called first. There were sounds, we aren't exactly sure what was on the 911 call," Early said.
The man called later but the call was bounced to state police due to the busy line.
Neighbours reacted with shock to the tragedy, with some telling media they would sometimes hear the couple arguing.
"It’s just so close and it hits home. Those little kids, they don’t deserve that,” neighbour Noreen Welch told 7News Boston.
“They don’t have a mother now… And that’s very, very sad.”
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
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