Police in Northern Virginia are investigating a connection between a triple homicide and a man who took his own life in nearby Reston, they said Saturday morning.
Shortly before 6 a.m., Fairfax County Police officers were called to a commercial parking garage in Reston Town Center for reports of a man experiencing a mental health crisis.
There, police found a man on the top level of a parking garage in the 11900 block of Democracy Drive.
The man told officers trying to help him that he had just killed his girlfriend and two children. Officers attempted to get him down, but he jumped from the roof and fell to his death.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
Based on information gathered at that scene, Herndon Police were called to perform a welfare check on a home in the 500 block of Florida Avenue at about 7 a.m. There they discovered an adult and two juveniles dead.
Police confirmed that the victims were related, but did not release names or ages. They also confirmed that the man who killed himself had a personal relationship with the adult victim.
Neighbors said the deceased are a mother and her two children. They said the youngest was about 6 years old and the oldest was a girl turning 10 years old on Saturday.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
A birthday party had been planned.
“Why the girls? Like, the girls had nothing to do [with it],” a neighbor, Luisa, said. “Maybe the girl woke up happy about her tenth birthday. Who wouldn’t, you know?”
A couple whose children knew the victims are agonizing over how or even if to tell them what happened.
“How can you explain to a little one what happened?” the father asked. “And you know, for a family… it’s really bad.”
Members of a church called Sol de Justicia, who said the children had attended services, arrived at the apartment complex Saturday evening to hold a prayer service.
Emotions ran high as people expressed their disbelief.
At a press conference, Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard said the investigation was in its early stages and did not confirm the connection between the man’s suicide and the triple homicide.
“I can’t talk about how the homicide occurred at this point,” DeBoard said. “We also have the Medical Examiner’s office involved in the case and we have to wait for those results as well.”
Authorities said the incident appeared to be domestic, and that it took several hours to locate and notify family members.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
This is a developing story. Stay with News4 for more.
