A welfare check at an upscale home in Lakewood Ranch ended in heartbreak after deputies discovered a mother and her two children dead inside.
According to Fox News, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said the case has been ruled a double homicide-suicide.
Detectives with the agency’s Homicide Investigation Unit concluded the children were killed by their mother before she took her own life.
Authorities stressed there is no evidence anyone else was involved and said there is no threat to the community.
The victims were identified by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune as 44-year-old Monika Rubacha and her children, 14-year-old Josh James and 11-year-old Emma James.
Deputies described entering what appeared to be a “violent murder scene” when they arrived at the residence.
The investigation remains active as detectives continue reviewing evidence. The medical examiner will determine the official cause and manner of death.
According to the Herald-Tribune, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Randy Warren said preliminary findings suggest Josh James may have died earlier than his sister and mother, as investigators work to establish a more precise timeline.
Authorities believe there was some level of planning involved and that the mother “knew what she was doing,” Warren said, according to the outlet.
“This is unimaginable that two children were killed inside their home by a parent, and then she took her own life,” Warren told FOX 13.
Warren also told the station that deputies had never previously responded to the home since the family moved from Missouri about three years ago.
“There’s really nothing there that would have indicated this would have happened,” he said.
The children’s father was traveling in South America at the time of the killings and returned to Florida after being notified. Authorities described it as “an incredible emotional day for him,” according to FOX 13.
Neighbors in The Lake Club, a gated community within Lakewood Ranch, expressed disbelief.
“It’s a total surprise and shock. This neighborhood is so quiet,” resident Paul Henne told FOX 13.
“It’s a family community with small kids. It really hits you hard when you hear about that stuff happening.”
In a statement to FOX 13, The Lake Club at Lakewood Ranch said it is aware of the tragedy and that its “hearts are with the family and all those affected during this incredibly difficult time.”
A motive has not been released.
