Detectives are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in Harlem on Wednesday in which a man allegedly murdered his wife and their 5-year-old daughter, then hung himself.
Officers from the 28th Precinct made the grisly discovery at around 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday night in responding to a 911 call at the apartment on West 121st Street near Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.
According to police sources, a relative called 911 to ask police to conduct a wellness check on the family after not hearing from them.
Upon entering the home, cops found a 42-year-old woman dead in the bathroom and her 5-year-old daughter deceased in a bedroom. Both had suffered what police sources described as severe neck trauma.
Cops then found a 46-year-old man dead from apparently hanging himself inside another bedroom.
Based on preliminary information, law enforcement sources believe the 46-year-old man slashed his wife and daughter to death before taking his own life. The couple had been going through divorce proceedings, sources familiar with the investigation said.
WABC-TV reported that the couple had also had a history of domestic violence incidents, but cops could not immediately confirm that information to amNewYork.
Police have not yet released their identities, pending family notification. The investigation is ongoing.
— With reporting by Robert Pozarycki of amNewYork
