Man Kills 5-Year-Old Daughter And His Wife In Suspected Double Murder-Suicide, Officials Say
MINK SHOALS, W.Va. (AP) — The alleged suspect in an apparent double murder-suicide at a West Virginia home had been arrested earlier this year on a domestic violence charge, officials said.
The man was identified as Donald "DJ" Thomas, 29, of Charleston, who was found with a gun believed to have been used in the incident next to him, news outlets reported, citing a statement Tuesday from the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office. His wife, Alicia Thomas, 24, of Charleston, and their 5-year-old daughter, Myra Thomas, were also dead inside the home in Mink Shoals, the sheriff's office said.
The couple's 1-year-old daughter, Lona Thomas, was listed in critically stable condition at a hospital after surgery to remove a bullet from her head, the statement said.
The bodies were found Monday by relatives who had not heard from the family for several days.
Donald Thomas had been arrested in February on a domestic violence charge, but Kanawha Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Brian Humphreys said the case was dismissed in June after the alleged victim did not appear in court.
(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
