Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook Twitter PRICES CORNER, Del. (CBS) – It was a tragic discovery inside a Delaware home as police say a man killed his wife and three young children before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide. Newark Police Officers Revive 2-Year-Old Girl Found Unresponsive In Pool Police found the bodies of five people in the home along the 2700 block of Ferris Road in Prices Corner on Monday night. Delaware State Police say 42-year-old Matthew Edwards shot and killed his wife, 41-year-old Julie Edwards, and their three children — a 6-year-old boy, 4-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy — before shooting himself. “The individuals have been turned over to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science where autopsies were performed and have ruled the deaths to be murder/suicide by gunshot,” police said in a statement. This neighbor lives across the street from where police say five people died from apparent gunshot wounds, including three kids under 8-years-old https://t.co/8e3omC2KE1 @CBSPhilly pic.twitter.com/X7rQN5dorJ — Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) July 10, 2018 One neighbor who didn’t want to show his face on camera said Matthew Edwards confided in him a night before the suicide that he recently lost his job and was separating from his wife. “This is just so sad,” said neighbor Alisha Garvin. Garvin says she heard the bang of explosions around 12 p.m. Monday, but at first didn’t think anything of it. Man Fleeing From Officers Ran Over, Killed By Bulldozer “It just sounded like pop, pop, pop, like firecrackers and didn’t pay it any mind because the Fourth was just a few days ago,” said Garvin. “Didn’t pay it no mind at all.” Garvin then says a child who was supposed to sleep over at the house was dropped off around 7:30 p.m., walked inside and discovered the bodies. “A neighbor said she watched him get out of the red truck, go inside and then rush right out,” said Garvin. “So apparently he had to have found them because no one else was around.” Police swarmed the area shortly after. Authorities believe the victims died from apparent gunshot wounds. Police also say the surrounding area is not in danger. Authorities say autopsies will be done to figure out exactly what happened. Thai Cave Rescue: Entire Team, Coach Rescued From Thai Cave Anyone with any information is asked to call police at 302-365-8441.<doc-sep>Pictured: 41-year-old Julie Burton Edwards and her three children. Julie and Matthew Edwards. WPVI EMBED >More News Videos Raw footage from the Action Cam at the scene of a multiple-death investigation in Delaware. EMBED >More News Videos Friend remembers victim of Prices Corner murder-suicide. Vernon Odom reports during Action News at 5pm on July 10, 2018. EMBED >More News Videos Delaware State Police investigate multiple death: Annie McCormick reports on Action News at 11 p.m., July 9, 2018 EMBED >More News Videos Police: Man killed wife, 3 children, then himself in Prices Corner, Delaware. Maggie Kent reports during Action News at 4pm on July 10, 2018. PRICES CORNER, Del. (WPVI) -- Police say a man shot and killed his wife and their three children before turning the gun on himself in Prices Corner, Delaware.Forty-two-year-old Matthew Edwards, his wife 41-year-old Julie Burton Edwards, and their children, 6-year-old Jacob, 4-year-old Brinley, and 3-year-old Paxton, were found shot to death in the second floor of the home.Police say Matthew Edwards died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and the deaths have been ruled a murder-suicide.Police were called around 8 p.m. Monday to the home on the 2700 block of Ferris Road.A longtime neighbor who wished to remain anonymous says he spoke to Matthew on Sunday; he said the father of three had been emotional about work and marital issues. The neighbor consoled him and told Matthew to "just worry about your kids. "On Julie Edwards' social media accounts in recent days, there were signs of joy and celebration for the family. Julie recently posted that Jacob, who had Williams syndrome, celebrated a five year anniversary of successful open heart surgery.She also posted a video of the kids playing in the backyard. "They were happy kids, they were really happy kids," said neighbor Kim Ternenyi. "She was a wonderful mom, she was very dedicated to her kids. I can't believe all this. "Neighbor Brian Covenko and his wife often had play dates with the Edwards family. "My wife and I are kind of in shock, we really don't believe it. We are just stunned and it kind of felt like something you see on TV, like 'Law and Order' or a movie, just doesn't seem real," Covenko said.Covenko said he would see Matthew Edwards playing outside with the three kids all the time. "I don't know what happened inside. But I know he was outside with his kids a lot," Covenko said. "I loved those kids so much, and I loved her. I can't believe what happened," said Sarah Umeroglu.She had been friends with Julie Burton Edwards for six years. Their children were close in age and they met in a local mother's group.Umeroglu said Edwards was very active as a volunteer in a national organization, the Williams Syndrome Association, and her oldest child had endured a couple of heart surgeries.The disease causes development and cognitive delays, according to the association's website. "She was in and out of doctor's appointments all the time for him. She would have done anything for those kids," said Umeroglu. "Anything. "She said Matthew Edwards had always seemed to be a guy on an even keel. His job kept him out of town quite a bit, and lately Julie Edwards indicated there was some kind of strain in the marriage. "He seemed like a very nice, calm, laid-back guy. I never would have expected this from him," said Umeroglu.Julie Burton Edwards had recently lost a lot of weight, some 50 to 60 pounds Umeroglu's estimate. "She worked really hard, she was eating right, getting up with the kids, going to the park," said Umeroglu. "I don't think he was happy about that. "If anyone has information about this incident, they are asked to contact Detective D. Grassi of the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit at 302-365-8441.------<doc-sep>A family of five was found shot to death inside a Delaware home Monday evening. Delaware State Police said the fatal shooting took place just before 8 p.m. at a home on Ferris Road in Wilmington, Delaware. Authorities said that a 42-year-old man, 41-year-old woman and three children under the age of 8 were discovered on the second floor of the house with apparent gunshot wounds, WCAU reported. "With a heavy heart, our thoughts and prayers are with this family," Delaware State Police Sergeant Richard Bratz said, according to the station. The identities of the deceased will be released after next of kin is notified, police said. Autopsies will be performed by the Delaware Division of Forensic Science to determine the causes of death, a police statement said. Neighbors told WPVI that they saw the family of five outside their home on Sunday. "We're kind of in shock," a neighbor told the station. "I'm concerned because there is no activity beside paramedics and police." Delaware State Police said in a statement that despite a large police presence at the home, there is no concern for public safety. No other information has been released by police. Another neighbor told WCAU that his children played with the children who were found dead. "There's three kids in there, wife and husband," Brian Covenko told WCAU. "Kind of in shock as we're really friends with them." Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Detective D. Grassi of the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit at 302-365-8441. The incident is the second time in less than a week that Delaware State Police has had to investigate the deaths of a family, The New York Daily News noted. A New Jersey father and his four daughters were killed in a car crash Friday on Route 1 in Delaware. The family was killed when a pickup truck driving in the opposite direction crossed the median and crashed into their car, WABC-TV reported. The girls' mother, 53-year-old Mary Rose, was the sole survivor of the crash. She was taken to Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, with serious injuries. Police said the couple was properly restrained in the vehicle but their four daughters were not. Mary Rose is aware of the deaths of her husband and children, her brother-in-law told People. Daniel Trinidad saw his sister-in-law on Monday before surgery and said she was not on medicine "so she wasn't groggy and was able to cry." No charges have been filed in that case.<doc-sep>Julie Edwards, her husband, Matthew, and their three children were set to leave for Baltimore Monday night for a national conference that Julie helped to plan and coordinate. Matthew, who was living and working in North Carolina, had returned to their Prices Corner home Sunday to accompany the family to the conference, despite the fact that he and his wife were "estranged," said Julie's friend, Brianna Horney. Instead, Matthew Edwards shot and killed first his family and then himself in what state investigators have ruled a murder suicide. State police said Matthew Edwards sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to autopsies completed Tuesday. Matthew did not appear to have a criminal history in Delaware, according to a review of court records Tuesday. The News Journal has independently identified the victims as Matthew, 42; his wife, Julie, 41; Jacob, 6; Brinley, 4; and Paxton, 3. State Police confirmed the parents' names. "Her world was her kids," Horney said Tuesday, recalling the woman she first met at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children when their children shared a hospital room. Both Edwards' son and Horney's daughter have rare genetic disorders that united the women over the last seven years. The oldest Edwards child, Jacob, had Williams syndrome, a developmental disorder that affects many parts of the body, including appearance and intellectual ability, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Julie became heavily involved with the Williams Syndrome Association in support of her oldest son, and served as a regional director for the association, Horney said. The family also participated in weekend walks and conferences regularly. Now, the community is reeling in the wake of the family members' deaths. Police were called to the home at 2709 Ferris Road at 8 p.m. Monday after the family was found dead inside. A 911 call reported an "unknown medical emergency" to numerous first responders who were dispatched to the scene. No motive for the killings was released by state investigators. Related: 2 adults, 3 young children found dead in Prices Corner home Monday night Related: Neighbors watch 5 bodies taken from Prices Corner home and wonder what they missed From the onset of the investigation, police told neighbors they had no reason to fear for their safety. Instead, the surrounding community was left reeling from the tragedy that struck on the otherwise quiet block. Those neighbors lined the sidewalks around the home Monday night looking for answers. Some speculated, while others hung their heads in sadness as the details filtered out to them. Already, a GoFundMe – "Help fund Edwards family funeral" –created to support the funerals of the Edwards' children has raised more than $8,000 with a goal of $20,000. A few neighbors, such as Wilfredo Rivera, said they'd learned recently of marital problems inside the Edwards home. Rivera said he heard about them as recently as Sunday. "He was telling me about his problems while his kids were running up and down the street," Rivera said Tuesday. Rivera said he was more acquaintance than friend of Matthew Edwards, though the killing of three children just across the street saddened him. Other friends who didn't live in the neighborhood learned of the news when it hit TV and Internet screens. When Nina Boyer saw footage of the house where state police were investigating Monday night, her heart sank. She used to live in the neighborhood and still lives nearby. A closer shot of the home made the tragedy even more real. "Oh my God," she remembered thinking. "I know that house. I know those people." Man on roof of South Wilmington home under police watch; roads in area are closed Both lanes of U.S. 13 closed for wreck and car fire A call to Stephanie Peterson, a fellow teacher at a church day care in Marshallton, confirmed Boyer’s fears: It was the Edwards' house. A post on Facebook shortly after from Julie Edwards’ brother affirmed what they already knew. Both Peterson and Boyer got to know the Edwards at the day care where the two youngest children attended preschool. Brinley, the middle child and only girl, began going to the day care when she was about 1 1/2 years old back in 2015, Boyer said, adding that she worked with Brinley in the toddler room. As the years passed, Paxton, the youngest boy who was only a year younger than Brinley, also came to the day care. "Paxton just followed his big sister around," Boyer said. "And (Brinley) was my narrator. She was wise beyond her years, 3 going on 23." Peterson agreed, adding Brinley often came off as years older in the way she talked and spoke with people. “She was always asking questions and she always wanted to learn,” Peterson said. The relationship between the teachers and the Edwards family furthered as the children spent more time at the school. Peterson also began babysitting for the family at their home, where she came to know their oldest son, Jacob. But the boy was full of hugs and smiles, Peterson said. Occasionally, he would come to the day care after school, Boyer said. "He was just a happy, happy boy," Boyer said. "He loved music. He loved to dance." Molly Merrill met Julie Edwards when they were dropping their kids off at the same day care. They never became close friends, but Merrill said she leaned on the experience Julie Edwards accumulated raising Jacob. Merrill’s daughter, Michaela, has Sanfilippo Syndrome, a rare metabolic disorder that manifests in young children first through symptoms like speech problems and developmental delays. “When we got diagnosed, Julie was just there for me, and there for everyone in the Williams Syndrome community,” Merrill said. “She always had the best advice. There’s not a manual on how to be a special needs mom. Nobody tells you how to do that, but she was the person who did that for me.” Merrill described Julie Edwards as a role model, someone who’d already passed through the learning phase of raising a child with special needs, eager and willing to share her knowledge. “She just seemed so patient.<doc-sep>
PRICES CORNER, Del. -- A couple and three young children were found fatally shot at their Delaware home in what police described Tuesday as a murder-suicide. Delaware State Police identified the couple in a news release as Matthew Edwards, 42, and his wife, Julie Edwards, 41. Police did not release their children's names, but said they included a 4-year-old girl and two boys, 6 and 3, respectively. Troopers called to the Prices Corner home Monday night found Julie Edwards and the three children dead in the home from apparent gunshot wounds and Matthew Edwards dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. The bodies were turned over to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science, which ruled their deaths murder and suicide by gunshot. Julie Edwards and her three children CBS Philadelphia Neighbor Wilfredo Rivera, 60, said Tuesday that he saw the father and children at their home Sunday and spoke to Matthew Edwards. The children were playing with scooters and Edwards was cooking and going in and out of the home, he said. "He told me he was having marital problems," Rivera said. The couple had lived there for more than a decade and the husband had lost his job and took one in Virginia, he said. "He seemed like an average guy," he said. "He would come outside with his kids and play." "This is just so sad," neighbor Alisha Garvin told CBS Philadelphia. Garvin says she heard the bang of explosions around 12 p.m. Monday, but at first didn't think anything of it. "It just sounded like pop, pop, pop, like firecrackers and didn't pay it any mind because the Fourth was just a few days ago," said Garvin. "Didn't pay it no mind at all." Garvin then says a child who was supposed to sleep over at the house was dropped off around 7:30 p.m., walked inside and discovered the bodies. "A neighbor said she watched him get out of the red truck, go inside and then rush right out," said Garvin. "So apparently he had to have found them because no one else was around." At the brown clapboard home Tuesday, there was a for-sale sign on a Ford F-150 that had a red, white, and blue hardhat in the back. An upstairs window air conditioner was still running. Brian Covenko, who lives across the street told The News Journal that he last talked to Matthew Edwards around Memorial Day. "I'm just shocked. There was no way to prepare for this," he said. "Our kids played together. We've been over to barbecues. Every time he was here, he was playing with his kids. I don't know what happened inside of doors, but I know he was outside with his kids a lot."