A family of five, including three small children, were found dead in their Berks County, Pennsylvania home on Saturday, August 6, along with a handwritten “murder-suicide note.” The note talked about a child’s illness, post-traumatic stress and strife in their home in recent years.
According to the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, police in Sinking Spring, just outside Reading, responded to the family’s home on the unit block of Winding Brook Drive about 2 p.m. Saturday, after a concerned relative asked them to check on the family.
Once inside, police found 40-year-old Mark Jason Short Sr., his wife, Megan L. Short, 33, and the couple’s three children, 8-year-old Lianna, 5-year-old Mark Jr. and 2-year-old Willow, along with the family’s dog, all dead of gunshot wounds. Authorities said Megan Short was supposed to meet a relative for lunch Saturday, but never showed up and never answered her phone, leading the relative to contact police.
Authorities have not revealed what the note said or which parent they believe did the shooting, but they said an investigation uncovered “domestic issues” in the past between Mark and Megan Short. They did not specify the nature of those problems.
