MIDDLETOWN - A father killed his wife and three young children, then shot himself in an apparent murder-suicide that authorities are calling this quiet Frederick County community's "worst, most horrific event" in decades.
Frederick County sheriff's deputies found the bodies in the family home after receiving a 911 call from a relative shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday. The father, identified as Christopher Alan Wood, 34, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. Wood's 33-year-old wife, Francis Billotti-Wood, and their three children were each shot once and also sustained "traumatic cut injuries," although authorities said autopsies would determine the exact cause of their deaths and how long they had been dead.
Authorities also said they found five handwritten notes at the scene indicating that Christopher Wood, an employee at CSX, may have had psychological and financial problems.
A 5-year-old boy and a 4-year-old boy were found in their beds, said Cpl. Jennifer Bailey, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office. A 2-year-old girl was found with her mother in a bed in the master bedroom, Bailey said. Wood's body was found on the floor of the master bedroom, she said.
Police did not release the children's names. In a blog that Billotti-Wood maintained, she identified her children as Chandler, Gavin and Fiona.
Authorities found a shotgun near Wood's body and a 25 mm handgun in the kitchen and also removed several unidentified items that were possibly used in the killings, said Chuck Jenkins, the Frederick County sheriff, along with the notes, which were believed to have been written by the father. Jenkins described the notes as "someone's final thoughts" and said that they indicated "psychological problems." He added that in one of the notes, "he did say he was sorry."
"It was the worst, most horrific event I've seen in all my years," said Jenkins, who has worked for the Frederick County sheriff's office more than 20 years.
The sheriff said detectives had interviewed more than 50 people and were still piecing together a possible motive. Christopher Wood worked in the sales and marketing department of CSX, according to Garrick Francis, director of corporate communications. Jenkins said that while Wood was employed, "there may have been some debt problems from financial problems."
