A young man has been charged with murdering two adults and two children in West Virginia.
Police in Elkview discovered the bodies of a man, his wife, and their three and 12-year-old sons in their home on Cemetery Hill Drive in Elkview on Sunday morning after receiving a 911 call from a relative who had not heard from the family in days.
The grandfather, who drove to the home around 10:40 AM, found the door unlocked but entered and found three bodies. Police later found a fourth victim under a bed.
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said a fifth resident of the house, a 16-year-old male family member, was found safely elsewhere. He has been charged with four counts of murder in connection to the incident.
The name of the 16-year-old male and other identifying information are withheld due to his age.
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as Daniel Dale Long, 37, Risa Mae Saunders, 39, Gage Ripley, and Jameson Long, 3, all from Elkview.
‘We do know that a family member tried to get a hold of him yesterday, weren’t able to do so. When they couldn’t get a hold of him this morning that’s when one of the family members came in to check in on them and that’s when they were found,’ Kanawha County Sheriff Mike Rutherford said on the teen that was located Sunday as per WOWKTV.
‘We determined immediately on the deputies’ arrival they were all deceased,’ Rutherford added.
Deputies say they are not sure when the exact shooting unfolded but said a next of kin has been notified and an investigation is ongoing.
Neighbor Samra Mullins said she didn’t hear anything coming from the home in the quiet neighborhood.
‘It’s a little nerve-wracking. You don’t expect this to be so close to home,’ Mullins said.
‘It’s just more stress. You know, we’re dealing with the COVID-19. It’s just more bad news,’ Mullins added.
