Five Pennsylvania children are now orphans after their parents died in what authorities believe was a murder-suicide, the Altoona Mirrors reports.
Around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to a home on Dartmouth Lane in Greenwood — about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh — and found 34-year-old Brooke Raia and 39-year-old Blase Raia dead.
Investigators say it appears Blase shot Brooke in the head using a handgun and then fatally shot himself in the basement amid a domestic dispute.
Four of the couple’s children were home at the time of the deaths. The oldest child came home after work and, upon discovering the scene, called 911, according to WTAJ-TV.
State police collected evidence from the house and the coroner removed the bodies on Tuesday, Logan Township Police Chief Dave Hoover told the Mirror. Police are in the process of interviewing the children and others who knew the couple.
“We’re trying to backtrack, fill in the day,” Hoover told the newspaper. “We’re trying to figure out a motive.”
The investigation is ongoing, but police said they do not believe there is any danger to the public, according to WJAC-TV.
Blase was employed by Norfolk Southern as a machinist, while Brooke worked for a local chiropractor.
A GoFundMe page has been established to help raise money for the children, who are now being cared for by relatives. As of Sunday morning, the fundraiser had collected nearly $62,000.
“Help me let these children know we are here for them,” wrote the organizer, Donny Algieri, who knew the couple.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org.
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[Feature Photo: Brooke and Blase Raia and their children/GoFundMe]
