What to Know
- Two adults and two children were found dead inside a Westchester County home Thursday, after what police sources say was a murder-suicide
- Officers were called to the home for a welfare check just before 2 p.m., after the school said two children were absent that day
- After getting inside the house, officers found the bodies of two adults and two children who appear to be part of the same family
Two adults and two children were found dead inside a Westchester County home Thursday afternoon, after what police sources say was a murder-suicide.
Officers were called to the home for a welfare check just before 2 p.m., Pleasantville Police Chief Eric Grutzner said. The school district contacted police after the two children’s unaccounted-for absences at school.
After getting inside the Romar Avenue house, officers found the bodies of two adults and two children, Grutzner said. A husband took the lives of his wife and two children before killing himself, law enforcement sources said.
The causes of death have not been determined, and their names have not been released pending family notification.
“I stand here today representing a community that is reeling under the weight of a tragedy that has occurred,” said town mayor Peter Scherer.
It appears all four were members of the same family, Grutzner said. Pleasantville police are handling the incident as a crime scene, but have not ruled it as a homicide.
Local
A neighbor told NBC New York he was friends with the family, including the two young children who were killed.
"When something like this happens, it’s devastating. It’s worse than anybody can imagine and especially when it’s people you know," said Brian Skarstad. "It couldn't be any worse than this."
“Our hearts are broken at news of this incredible tragedy,” said Pleasantville Schools Superintendent Mary Fox-Alter. “This is a very small community, and it impacts all of us in this small village.”
Fox-Alter said schools will be open on Friday, and counselors will be available for students and adults. Principals at the town’s schools will send out information to parents later Thursday night.
The house the street sits on is adjacent to Pleasantville's high school and middle school, in a town one resident described as an "all-American community" and "king of your Norman Rockwell town."
Police were still gathering clues and evidence late Thursday night, with the street stil closed. A police investigation is active and ongoing.