At the time of the murders, there were only four people known to be on the Borden property. Genealogy Trails reports Andrew Borden was in his sitting room, reading a newspaper on the sofa. Abby Borden was upstairs in a guestroom changing her clothes. The family’s housekeeper, Bridget Sullivan, said she was working on chores, including cleaning the windows, and Lizzie said she was out in the barn.

Although Abby and Andrew were both brutally murdered, nobody, including Lizzie or Sullivan, reported seeing or hearing anything out of the ordinary. Interestingly, the first unusual sound reported by anyone was the sound of Lizzie screaming when she discovered her father’s body.

As reported by New England Today Travel, authorities believe Andrew fell asleep on the couch while reading the newspaper, as his body was found in a position that suggested he was either asleep or simply laying down. Famous Trials reports the medical examiner, who conducted the autopsies on the dining room table, concluded Andrew was struck with an ax or similar object 10 times. As all of the blows were made to the head, there was significant damage to his face and skull.

The strikes to Andrew’s head were made with intense force. In one blow, the attacker split the man’s lips, lower jaw bone, and nose. Another, which struck the side of Andrew’s head, split his skull and left a deep gash in his brain.