Family Says Children Of Slain Mother 'Torn Up' After Alleged Murder-Suicide

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The grandmother of Amber Cox -- the mother who police say was gunned down by her husband in Baltimore County -- says family members remain in shock over the crime.

WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren spoke to her and another family member Friday, who say the couple's three children are "physically healthy" but "torn up" over the murder of their mother.

Police say their father, Harry Rey, shot Cox at their home in Woodstock, then gathered the children together in his truck and drove to Hanover where he left them with strangers at the entrance to the Arundel Mills' Red Lobster.

RELATED: Police: 3 Kids Left Outside Md. Restaurant After Father Kills Wife

Karen Palmer, whose family was at the restaurant to celebrate a birthday, recounted how one of the children told her his dad shot his mom with a revolver.

"It's just heartbreaking," Palmer said.

WJZ also listened to police dispatch recordings from the day of the murder.

Anne Arundel County Police can be heard putting out a bulletin for a "possibly armed" man just after 5:45 pm. Wednesday. They announced he committed suicide in his truck 40 minutes later in Severn. Sources say Rey left a suicide note.

Neighbors say police had been called to the couple's home twice this week.

Two neighbors say they heard fighting from the home in the days before the killing.

There's no online record of any protective order.

Maternal relatives say they are talking to relatives of the children's father and they all "just want what's best" for the three boys — a set of 7-year-old twins and a 6-year-old boy. They're also hoping to set up an online fundraiser.

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