A father threw his two young children to their deaths from a Pennsylvania parking garage before jumping after them in a truly horrific murder-suicide, according to police.
Patrick Lynch, 42, his son James, 8, and daughter Caroline, 6, were found dead near the foot of a parking garage in the affluent Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, Penn Live reported.
Responders attempted life-saving measures but all three were declared dead at the scene from injuries suffered in an “apparent fall,” the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said.
“Preliminary information suggests that this incident is a murder-suicide,” the county police department confirmed.
It was not clear what led Patrick Lynch to kill his children and himself, but Mt. Lebanon Police Chief Jason Haberman struggled to hide his emotions as he told reporters at the scene that it was being investigated “not as an accident.”
“There will be a significant amount of trauma associated with this event for the community,” Haberman said of the upscale community about five miles south of downtown Pittsburgh.
“Everybody in the Mt. Lebanon community will know somebody involved in this incident,” Haberman added. “We really want to send our condolences.”
A black vehicle was seen sealed off with police tape at the garage. It was not immediately clear how far the three relatives fell.
The Mt. Lebanon School District said two of its elementary schools will be closed on Wednesday. Students at other schools in the district are permitted to stay home and have their absences excused.
School counselors will also be available, the district said.
f you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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