Fourth Victim Dies After Murder-Suicide At Modesto Home
MODESTO, Calif. (AP) - A man shot and killed his wife and two grown children before taking his life at a Northern California home on New Year's Day, police said Friday.
Officers responded late Thursday to a 911 call from a man saying he killed his family, Modesto police spokeswoman Heather Graves said. All four apparently lived at the home in this city of 200,000 people about 70 miles southeast of Sacramento and were the only ones there during the shooting.
It appears that 57-year-old Stephen Mingham shot his wife, Janet Mingham, 56; son Chad Mingham, 33; and daughter Nicole Mingham, 34, Graves said. The initial investigation shows that Stephen Mingham then shot himself.
Investigators discovered the father, mother and son dead inside the home after unsuccessfully trying to reach the family by calling them by phone and through a loudspeaker, Graves said. The man's daughter was found alive and underwent surgery, but she later died.
Police have not determined what led to the shootings.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.