A quiet Virginia neighborhood woke up to horror Saturday morning after four members of the same family were found stabbed to death inside their Woodbridge home in what police are calling a suspected murder-suicide.
Officers with the Prince William County Police Department responded just after 8 a.m. to a reported stabbing at a house on Vale Court. When they entered the home, they found a devastating scene.
Two adult women, one adult man, and a 2-year-old child were all discovered dead from apparent stab wounds.
According to local reports, the adult man was in his 40s. One of the women was in her 70s. The other woman, believed to be the child’s mother, was in her 30s.
Police say one of the adult women has been identified as the presumed suspect in the case. Authorities have not publicly released the names of any of the deceased. All four are being examined by the medical examiner as investigators work to determine exactly what happened.
The violence was first reported by an elderly man who lives in the basement of the home. Police have not identified him, but officials say he is believed to be the grandfather of the toddler. He is cooperating with investigators.
Prince William County Police Chief Peter Newsham described the scene as unimaginable.
“Compare it to the worst possible nightmare you’ve ever had,” he told WTOP-FM. “We don’t know the exact cause or the motive in this case, but just to see a family destroyed like this is horrific.”
Authorities say the investigation is ongoing as the community grapples with the shock of an entire family lost in a single morning.