A Pennsylvania father threw his two young children from a parking garage before jumping to his death, in what police are investigating as a horrific murder-suicide.
Patrick Lynch, 42, his son James, 8, and daughter Caroline, 6, were found dead near the base of a parking garage in the affluent Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon at about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to PennLive.
Emergency responders performed life-saving measures, but all three were pronounced dead at the scene from injuries sustained in an “apparent fall,” the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said.
“Preliminary information suggests that this incident is a murder-suicide,” the county police department confirmed.
Authorities have not said what prompted Lynch to kill his children and himself. Mt. Lebanon Police Chief Jason Haberman, visibly emotional while speaking to reporters, said investigators were treating the deaths “not as an accident.”
“There will be a significant amount of trauma associated with this event for the community,” Haberman said of the residential community roughly five miles south of downtown Pittsburgh.
“Everybody in the Mt. Lebanon community will know somebody involved in this incident,” Haberman said. “We really want to send our condolences.”
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A black vehicle at the garage was cordoned off with police tape.
Officials did not immediately disclose how far the three family members fell.
The Mt. Lebanon School District announced that two elementary schools would be closed Wednesday.
Students at the district’s other schools may also remain home, with absences excused.
School counselors will be available to students, the district said.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, call or text the 24/7 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
