Two children are dead and their mother and an infant are hospitalized following the mother’s alleged attempted suicide at the family’s Massachusetts home, officials said.
Police received a 911 call just after 6 p.m. ET Tuesday from a male resident of the home, on Summer Street in Duxbury, a suburb about 35 miles southeast of Boston, Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz told reporters Tuesday night.
First responders found three children in the home, unconscious and “with obvious signs of trauma,” Cruz said.
A five-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy were pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital, according to Cruz. An eight-month-old infant was transported to a Boston hospital by helicopter, and he and the children’s mother remain hospitalized, according to Cruz.
“This is an unimaginable, senseless tragedy,” he said.
The relationship of the man who called 911 to the women and children was not immediately clear.
The identities of the victims have not been released. Cruz declined to specify Tuesday whether the mother is being considered a suspect.
“I’m not going to label anybody anything at this time,” he said. “It’s an ongoing investigation and we will see where that leads us.”
Cruz added that authorities were in the process of obtaining search warrants to enter the home.
A spokesperson for the DA’s office could not immediately be reached.
A news conference is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday at the Duxbury Police Department, the fire department said in a tweet.
Police officers who responded to the scene were taken off duty in the aftermath, “but they are ok,” Duxbury Police Chief Michael Carbone told reporters Tuesday night.
Duxbury’s fire department said in a tweet that resources from six towns were used to respond to the incident.
Officials added the incident was not random and that there is no ongoing threat to the community.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
