A 26-year-old girl and her parents killed one another in what authorities claim was a murder-suicide case as the family jointly decided to help each other end their lives.
Morgan Daub, 26, her father, James Daub, 62, and her mother Deborah Daub, 59, were all found dead in their house's garden on Wednesday, January 25.
Police arrived at the Daub residence in York, southern Pennsylvania after a neighbour reported hearing three gunshots just before midnight the night before, each one about 10-15 seconds after the other.
According to the police, the devout Christian family left extensive letters detailing their decision to end their lives after their daughter announced to them that she intended to die by suicide.
In a letter, Deborah spoke about their decision as well as of "evil" against Morgan and her family, although it is unclear what she was referring to.
According to a police press release, the rest of the letter appeared to have been written to or through God and her husband, James Daub, and it read as if she wished James would outlive her after her death.
In another letter, Deborah said that her daughter picked the date of their death out of a Bible verse. She wrote: "Samuel 1:24-28 Morgan picks the date! I think I have to be with her!"
Police also found documents written by Morgan, including an extensive checklist, consisting of several pages, that seemed to contain preliminary steps before ending her life.
These listed steps include talking to her father, clipping the dog's nails, writing letters to the family, and more.
Another letter, apparently written by James, began by saying he was devastated when Morgan told "us" she had to take her own life.
The letter shows that he realised that neither Morgan nor Deborah could move on and wanted to end their lives.
In the first part of the letter, James said he was not ready to take his own life, but by the end, it was clear that he was determined to do so.
Suicide letters were also found, the police said. There were two letters, one from James and one from Deborah.
James's notes said he took his own life voluntarily. It went on to say: "With only 2 guns & me being shaky, my wife Debbie pulled the trigger for me."
Deborah's note said she voluntarily took her own life. It continued: "I was too shaky, so my daughter pulled the trigger for me."
Their bodies were found arranged in a line one in front of the other, with Morgan's near the house's porch, James' farther and Deborah's in the middle.
They all had gunshot wounds on the back of their heads and two guns were found near the bodies. Police said the investigation for the deaths has been closed.
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