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DEVASTATING pictures have been released after a father allegedly shot his wife, daughters, and brother dead before turning the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide.
In Orchards, Washington, about 10 miles from the state’s southern border with Oregon, five dead in a horrific shooting on Sunday were identified as members of the Rouse family.
Anne Aquino, an in-law, said the bodies belonged to Stuart Rouse, 64, Cristina Rouse, 63, Ronald Eric Rouse, 57, Kristina Rouse, 33, and Melissa Rouse, 19, per The Columbian.
Police have yet to confirm the victims’ identities but did note a familial relationship between all five.
Even so, Aquino set up a GoFundMe for the Rouse family for funeral costs that pictured them at a high school graduation ceremony for their daughter, Melissa, and a selfie of her older sister, Kristina, in her car.
“I don’t really know how to start this, but my husband’s dad, stepmom, 2 sisters, and uncle, tragically passed away the morning of Dec 3rd,” she wrote on the page.
“We’re still in disbelief and our hearts are shattered.”
Ronald was not pictured.
Aquino recalled her husband, a son of Stuart’s, receiving an alarming text message from his father on Sunday morning.
According to a statement from Clark County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Chris Skidmore at a press conference on Monday, that text wasn’t viewed until four hours after it was sent.
After attempting to contact the Rouse family home several times, Aquino said her brother-in-law dialed 911, which police said they received at around 1:00 pm.
Officers arrived at the home for a welfare check soon after, but there was no response from inside the house, per Skidmore’s statements at the press conference.
Given the severity of the claims made in the text message received by the department, a tactical team was deployed at the Orchards residence.
A drone surveyed the property and located what appeared to be five people dead inside.
Medics and response teams then entered the home.
The five reported members of the Rouse family were found dead from gunshot wounds.
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Skidmore said that investigators believe the father was responsible for shooting the four family members before turning the gun on himself.
He had no prior criminal history, according to Skidmore.
In a text provided on behalf of Stuart’s surviving sons, it was noted the dad seemingly suffered from mental health issues.
“Our father was a very patriotic man that proudly served his country,” the pair wrote to The Columbian.
“He was a caring father and protective of his wife and children.”
They added: “He suffered from undiagnosed PTSD, anxiety and depression. He was a proud man and very loving.”
The message also described Stuart’s wife and daughters — Cristina, Kristina and Melissa — as “the kindest, most helpful, generous, sweetest human beings — not to mention intelligent.”
“They cared about helping other people the most.”
The investigation into the apparent murder-suicide remains ongoing, and an autopsy from the coroner’s office has yet to confirm the time of death for each victim.
Clark County Sheriff John Horch said in a Tuesday statement that Sunday’s events were a “senseless tragedy.”
“Domestic violence affects our entire community, and we must continue the battle against those who seek to commit acts of violence against the innocent,” Horch noted.
After the shooting in Orchards and another in Dallas, Texas, on December 3, a new nationwide record for mass shootings where four or more people were killed was reached, according to data collected by The Washington Post.
In 2022, the high was broken at 36, but this weekend’s two shootings mark 37 and 38.
Other databases indicate that it could be the numbers 40 and 41, per The Associated Press.
With the mass shooting at Las Vegas University on Wednesday, the chilling numbers continue to climb.