Two adults and three children shot dead in Maryland murder-suicide identified

Officials say that there is no threat to the public following the incident in Elk Mills

Two adults and three children died in what police are calling a murder-suicide at a home in Maryland.

The Cecil County Sheriff’s Office says that deputies went to a home at a cul-de-sac in Elk Mills after a man called 911 and said he had shot his wife and three children.

In a news release shared by the office over the weekend, autopsies confirmed that all five died from gunshot wounds. Marcus Edward Milligan, 39, and Tara Devina Ricker Milligan, 37, were identified as the parents while their two daughters and son were identified as Teresa Milligan, 14; Nora Milligan, 11; and Finn Milligan, 8.

When deputies arrived at the home on Friday morning they discovered five bodies, with a semiautomatic handgun next to the man’s body.

The man was situated in a detached garage, while the woman and three children were found “in various locations inside the house.”

The three children were in the 5th, 7th and 8th grades at school.

“This is a tragic and terrible day for our county and our community,” Cecil County Sheriff Scott Adams told reporters on Friday afternoon.

The sheriff’s department says that it has no record of any previous call-outs to the home, which is situated near the state’s border with Delaware.

“We do have multiple deaths,” Lt. Micheal Holmes, CCSO spokesman earlier told the Cecil Whig newspaper. “We got a call indicating multiple people were shot.”

Officials say that they were called to the scene at around 9am and that there is no threat to the public.

“Cecil County Sheriff’s Office deputies and investigators are currently on scene in the area of Hebron Court near Elk Mills Road. There may be traffic delays in the area throughout the day. There is no current threat to the public. Additional information related to the incident will be released at a later time,” the department stated on Facebook.

Animal Services were later seen removing a dog from the home, reported WJZ.