Sheriff: Lansing-area mother kills 2 boys, self

6/9/2009

DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. A Lansing-area man came home to find the bodies of his wife and two young sons, killed in an apparent murder-suicide, an official said Monday.

The Delta Township man called 911 at 5:20 p.m. Monday, saying he found the three bodies in the family s home at Plum Tree Apartments, said Eaton County Sheriff Mike Raines.

It appears to be a homicide-suicide, but it s still under investigation, Raines told reporters. I m a father myself. It s a very horrible situation.

My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to friends and anybody who might know the family.

The sprawling apartment complex is just northwest of Waverly High School.

Raines didn t release the names or ages of the woman and her children or say how they died. He said the three were taken to Sparrow Hospital for autopsies.

Detectives were questioning the husband and wanted to make sure he s going to be all right, the sheriff said.

They seemed like a normal family, neighbor Robert Ward told the Lansing State Journal. The kids seemed to have fun.

Ward, 23, said he occasionally spoke to the husband, who once helped him find a missing cell phone.

Ward said the couple were immigrants but said he did not know their country of origin.

That s crazy. It just hurts my little soul, neighbor Diandra Garcia told WILX-TV. She said she was waiting to confirm the children who were killed were playmates of her 8-year-old son.

How do you tell a child their friends are not here no more? Garcia asked. It s sad to know a mother has taken the lives of children on top of herself.