Family of 5 Found Shot Dead in Massachusetts Identified: Police

Police tape in a stock photo. (Carl Ballou/Shutterstock)

A family of five was identified after being found shot and killed in a Massachusetts home, said police.

The family was found after a relative went to the home in Abington, Plymouth County, to help take the children, including 9-year-old twins and an 11-year-old girl, to school, District Attorney Tim Cruz said.

“This is a horrible, horrible event for the town of Abington and for the children in the schools that reside here,” Cruz told WBUR. “Three little children are gone forever as a result of this.”

The family members were identified as 40-year-old Deirdre Zaccardi, 43-year-old Joseph Zaccardi, 11-year-old Alexis Zaccardi, 9-year-old Nathaniel Zaccardi, and 9-year-old Kathryn Zaccardi, officials said. Nathaniel and Kathryn are twins, according to the report.

Abington Square Condominium Development, where the family lived. (Google Maps)

Cruz said that he is investigating the deaths as a possible murder-suicide, and a medical examiner will determine the exact cause of their deaths.

“This is an incredibly terrible event and actually, you know, it is what it is, it’s a crime. A crime occurred in that building and three little children are gone forever as a result of this,” Cruz said, according to CNN.

Abington Police Chief David Majenski said that there was no prior indication that there were any issues with the family, ABC News reported.

Cruz added that the relative found “an individual bleeding, laying in a position on the couch in the downstairs area and they called the police.”

The Superintendent of Abington Public Schools Peter Schafer sent out a statement to the parents of children, confirming the three children “died unexpectedly last night,” adding that the district will provide grief counseling to students.

The family was found after a relative went to the home in Abington, Plymouth County. (Google Maps)

“There are three young students of this family in our district. At this time, we do not have any other details about what happened,” his statement said. “This was an unexpected event, which deeply saddens all of us. This is a tragedy that will affect the entire Abington community. Counseling staff have been made available to support students.”

The family of the victims also sent out a statement via the district attorney’s office on Oct. 7.

“Today our family has suffered an unfathomable loss,” the statement said, according to the Patriot Ledger. “As we attempt to make sense of the enormity of this event, we respectfully ask that the media respect our family’s wishes to be left alone as we grieve our tremendous losses in private.”