A family of five, including a 2-year-old with a heart transplant, were found dead in their Pennsylvania home in a suspected murder-suicide.
Police found the bodies of Mark Short, 40; his wife, Megan, 33; and their children Liana, 8, Mark, 5, and Willow, 2, on Saturday afternoon. They all died from gunshot wounds, including the family’s dog.
According to a statement posted on the Berks County District Attorney Facebook page, officers went to the Sinking Spring home after receiving a report from a family member.
The relative contacted police after Megan missed a lunch date and could not be reached via cellphone and home phone.
When officers forcibly entered the home, they found the deceased bodies in the living room. A handgun was near one of the adults, although police did not specify whom. In addition, a handwritten “murder/suicide” note was discovered inside the house.
Further investigation also revealed the couple had “domestic issues.”
Neighbor Angie Burke told the Reading Eagle Megan was planning on leaving her husband.
When Burke shared a link to an online article titled, “He didn’t hit me. It was still abuse,” on her Facebook page, Megan left a comment on it.
“This is why I am leaving my marriage Angie. 16 years,” she wrote.
Then last week, Megan made a post on Facebook asking for friends to help her move out on Saturday, according to the Reading Eagle.
The family was previously featured in the local news and the New York Times regarding Willow’s heart transplant, which she obtained when she was just a week old.
According to the Washington Post, the toddler was expected to be stillborn, but she lived. Since then, the family struggled to obtain anti-rejection medication for her to keep her new heart.
“You just feel like every month, you’re hoping that they don’t mess it up,” Megan told the New York Times.
One neighbor, who wants to remain anonymous, said he never would’ve suspected there to be any issues, according to PEOPLE.
