January 27, 2020 at 11:30 AM EST – Updated January 27 at 11:30 AM
CRAVEN COUNTY, NC (WITN) – Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes says a husband shot and killed his wife, three young children, and the family dog before turning the gun on himself.
Deputies were called to a home on Kinsaw Court outside of Vanceboro around noon Friday by a family member who said she was unable to contact the family since Wednesday evening.
Deputies saw a body through a partially opened curtain and forced their way inside the home.
They found the body of Michael Ireland, 39, in the master bedroom with a gunshot to the head and a revolver found beside the body. The family dog was also discovered in the same bedroom.
The bodies of 26-year-old April Ireland and eight-month-old Caroline were on a living room couch.
Michael, 4, and Bryson, 3, were on another couch in the living room. All had a single gunshot wound.
The sheriff said there were no signs of a struggle inside the home.
Hughes says the county has never experienced such a senseless loss of lives in recent history. Veteran law enforcement officers described this as the most horrific case in their career.
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