After law enforcement officials discovered the bodies of three family members who engaged in a murder-suicide-pact, they could only use one word to describe it: tragedy.
“The only word that keeps coming to my mind is tragedy,” said Det. Timothy Fink from the West Manchester Township Police Department.
On Jan. 25, police responded to the home of 62-year-old James Daub who lived with his wife Deborah, 59, and their daughter Morgan, 26, according to a statement from police. They discovered their bodies on the ground in their backyard.
The cause of death for James and Deborah were gunshot wounds to the head. They both were killed shortly before Morgan took her own life, the York County Coroner’s Office told TV station FOX43. James and Deborah’s deaths were ruled homicides, and Morgan’s death was listed as a suicide.
Detectives found suicide notes inside the home, Fink said, according to the station.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
According to the station, Fink said Morgan’s mother decided to end her life and convinced her husband to do the same.
People who knew the family said they were religious and friendly. Morgan grew up as a competitive bowler, even winning scholarship money for college, which she never attended, the York Dispatch reported.
“She really seemed to enjoy bowling. And she was smart,” said Paula Wolfe, youth coordinator at Suburban Bowlerama. “Kind of a quiet girl. Her mother was very friendly. Dad was friendly.”
Morgan had created a YouTube channel where she recited passages from the Bible and declared herself “a prophet of the most high God,” the York Dispatch reported.
The news of their deaths has shocked those who knew the family.
“Everybody’s just really sad about it, and just doesn’t know what to make of it,” Wolfe said. “I don’t know that you could ever imagine this.”
In a statement, police stated, “At this stage of the investigation, we do not believe that there is any danger to the public and the surrounding community.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.