Maine MOTHER AND TWO CHILDREN FOUND DEAD IN APPARENT Murder-suicide; Tragic Discovery on Child’s Birthday
A mother and her two children have died in an apparent murder-suicide.
Officers arrived at a home in Mechanic Falls, Maine, at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 27, to check for a U-Haul truck that had been reported stolen and had not been returned, according to Mechanic Falls Police Chief Jeffrey Goss.
An officer and a deputy from the Androscoggin Sheriff’s Office attempted to make contact with the resident, who had hired the truck, Goss reported. During the investigation, authorities discovered that the resident, an adult lady, had died inside her home. When authorities walked inside, they discovered two deceased children.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed autopsies and identified the deceased as 7-year-old Hope West, 11-year-old Harmony West, and 37-year-old Jennifer Barney. Officials found that the two little girls died as a consequence of homicide, while Barney committed suicide.
The matter was turned over to the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit, which is now in charge of the investigation, Goss explained.
According to Goss, an animal control officer was dispatched to the site after pets were discovered inside the residence. They will be cared for by animal control until “a next-of-kin can be found and a placement for the pets can be determined,” according to Goss.
Several neighbors in the hamlet told WGME-TV that they hadn’t seen the girls, who frequently played outside, in approximately two weeks.
On a GoFundMe account put up to help pay the children’s burial expenses, their uncle stated that Hope’s 7th birthday was on July 27, the day authorities made the horrific discovery.
“Harmony and Hope were the best of friends, and we are grateful they had each other through the challenges they faced in their young lives,” fundraiser organizer Dan Parrott wrote. “Our hearts have been shattered by the tragedy of their passing.”
Both sisters went to Elm Street School, according to PEOPLE.