A San Diego family was discovered fatally shot inside their home Wednesday in what authorities believe may have been a murder-suicide. The deaths occurred one day after the mother reportedly contacted the Department of Veterans Affairs seeking help for her husband’s worsening mental health, according to her parents.
Amy Voight, 54, her husband, David Voight, and their 13-year-old daughter, Mya, were found dead at their San Carlos residence on Sept. 16, the San Diego Police Department said. Investigators are still working to determine exactly what led to the killings.
The tragedy unfolded just 24 hours after Amy, who was celebrating her birthday, visited a VA clinic at the urging of her parents to seek assistance for David.
Amy’s parents, Mary and Jerry Austin, said David was a highly decorated U.S. Navy warrant officer who served for roughly three decades. They said he had PTSD and that his symptoms had recently become significantly worse.
“You could visibly see there was something really wrong,” Amy’s mother, Mary Austin, told FOX 5. “He was fidgety. You could tell.”
The family said David worked with Navy SEALs in explosive ordnance disposal and served in combat zones, including Iraq and Afghanistan. As his condition appeared to decline, Amy’s parents urged her to help him connect with mental health services.
During her Sept. 15 visit to the VA, Amy reportedly asked whether David could be given something to relieve his anxiety, depression and frustration, her father said.
“She says, ‘Can you do anything to him to help him calm down? He’s frustrated, anxiety, depression,’” Jerry Austin told FOX 5.
According to the Austins, Amy was told that counselors were occupied and that she would need to schedule an appointment.
By the following day, all three family members were dead.
Amy had also built a career serving the military community. Her parents described her as a talented digital forensics analyst with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and a deeply devoted mother.
“She was extremely bright and just the most amazing person,” Mary Austin said.
The family’s account of Amy’s attempt to obtain care has drawn attention to the VA’s handling of the visit. The agency has denied that the services provided were inadequate.
“What’s being alleged regarding VA services is not accurate,” VA Press Secretary Quinn Slaven said in a statement. “All VA healthcare facilities offer same-day mental healthcare to all Veterans who request it.”
The VA said it could not discuss the family’s circumstances in detail because of patient privacy rules.
Jerry Austin, a Navy veteran who also lives with PTSD, said the case highlighted how important it is for veterans in crisis to receive immediate mental health support. He cited his own VA clinic in Lancaster, California, as an example of the care he believes should be available.
“My clinic that I go to is in Lancaster, California. It’s a small clinic. It is fantastic,” he said. “They greet you at the door. They take care of you. They are concerned about it.”
As police continue investigating the San Carlos deaths, the Austins are grieving the loss of their daughter and granddaughter.
“It’s terrible, and our pain is just starting,” Jerry Austin said.
