Sheriff: This is a tragic and terrible day for our community. @wjz pic.twitter.com/Db24h5Xp38 — Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) September 9, 2022 Sheriff Scott Adams told WJZ he was limited in what he could say because the man’s next of kin had not yet been notified.
“We are actively trying to find that motive, but at this time we do not have one,” Sheriff Adams said. Police said they have yet to uncover any red flags and noted there was no prior history of calls from the home on Hebron Court. NEW PRESS RELEASE: 3 children two adults dead in Cecil County. @wjz pic.twitter.com/A6wTUsSpkQ — Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) September 9, 2022 A man called 911 to report the deaths just after 9 a.m., leading police to the victims.
“It was very brief. The subject hung up and we attempted to make calls back to the residence which went unanswered,” a deputy said at a news conference.
One body was found in the garage, another on the first floor and three bodies on the second floor. Schools in the area were briefly put on high alert. Police said they found a semi-automatic handgun next to the man and continued to gather evidence through an active search and seizure warrant. “We are not aware of any other weapons that have been located inside the residence,” Lt. Michael Holmes said. Counseling has been provided to first responders. The sheriff addressed the trauma to them and the entire community. “My phone hasn’t stopped ringing from people who are concerned about this and upset about this,” Sheriff Adams said. “Any loss is terrible, but a loss of this level is not common and it’s certainly not common here in Cecil County. It’s tragic and terrible and it takes a long time for people to process it.” He asked for “prayers for anyone involved in what he responded to or may have had any involvement with.” Police said several nearby schools were put on heightened alert after the 911 call, but there is currently no threat to the community. They said it was “too early” to rule the case a murder-suicide.
Maryland State Police are assisting in the investigation because of the “extensive crime scene,” the sheriff said. Animal Control removed several pets from the home – a dog and two cats. Animal control retrieves dog from Cecil County crime scene where 5 bodies were found @wjz pic.twitter.com/AA6B7mcWhO — Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) September 9, 2022 A neighbor told WJZ that a family lives in the home. They moved in about two years ago, he said. “The family was a remarkable, beautiful family, they really were,” she said. He recalled seeing the children out for walks with the dogs and cats in tow. “As you can tell from the back, they had a lot of fun things to play with, so they had fun here. It was a fresh start for them,” he said. The residents were in a state of shock. Residents react to discovery of man, woman and three children found dead in Cecil County 01:43 “I just heard five people shot and killed that’s all I heard. It’s terrible,” one man told WJZ. He had gone to the area after seeing news helicopters.
People in the small Cecil County community, which is just miles from the Delaware state line, knew something was wrong when their quiet road suddenly became occupied. “I was actually here around 9:30 this morning when I saw all the cops coming. As soon as I saw the yellow tape, I knew that meant someone was gone,” a neighbor told WJZ. The neighbor who lives in the back of the house where all the victims were found told WJZ that the children may have been house-trained and often seen outside together. “They are my neighbors. They used to play here all the time, they had a dog too. But I don’t know much more, all I know is that they are gone,” she said.
Residents are now shocked as they wait to find out why this happened. “It’s pretty shocking around here, you know, especially when you have five people,” one resident said. “This is crazy.” Additional reporting by Annie Rose Ramos and Ava-joye Burnett. Mike Helgren WJZ reporter Mike Hellgren came to WJZ in the spring of 2004 from KARK-TV, an NBC affiliate station in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he worked as a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor. Strong reporting credentials and a reputation for breaking news characterized Mike’s work both there and at KTAL-TV, another NBC station in Shreveport, La. where he was also a general assignment reporter and news anchor.