International- A family of three was found shot dead in their Pennsylvania backyard last week.
- Police are describing it as a suicide pact, citing handwritten documents left behind.
A family of three from Pennsylvania was found shot dead in their backyard last week in what police are calling a suicide pact, according to NBC News.
Police discovered the bodies of Morgan Daub, 26, and her parents James Daub, 62, and Deborah Daub, 59, in York County, Pennsylvania, after neighbors requested a welfare check, NBC News reported.
The West Manchester Township Police Department said it appeared to be a "joint decision" to end their lives, citing notes found inside the family home, the news outlet said.
The police department added that it believes that Deborah Daub killed her husband, and was then killed by their daughter, who died by suicide, adding that there is no evidence that anybody else was involved, according to NBC News.
The lead detective in the case, Timothy Fink, told local media outlet York Dispatch that the department reached this conclusion from handwritten notes left behind by the family members, but added: "We may never know with certainty exactly who fired each shot."
An investigation into the deaths has concluded for now, Fink said, per York Dispatch.
According to those who knew the family, and who spoke to NBC News, they were Christian conservatives who were outspoken in their political beliefs.
Deborah Daub and her daughter were "huge" supporters of former President Donald Trump, said Bret Stabley, who knew the family as they frequented his store, per NBC News.
The family "was never shy about letting anybody know what their beliefs were," Stabley said, according to NBC News.
A neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous, told the media outlet that the family's front yard was "littered" with pro-Trump banners and, later, anti-abortion signs.
Stabley told NBC News that Deborah Daub and her daughter were "hell-bent on Trump winning" the 2020 election, adding: "Like this could be the end if he doesn't."
He said he stopped seeing them after Trump's election loss.
Stabley also said that Morgan, the daughter, was "very meek," had been homeschooled, and often had her mother speak on her behalf, according to NBC News.
In an interview with The Christian Post, a childhood friend described Morgan as having grown up in a "very uptight Christian household," adding that she wasn't allowed to use social media, have a boyfriend, or go out with her friends.
The lead detective, Fink, also said that documents left behind at the family's home showed that Morgan had told her mother that she was having "auditory hallucinations" that weren't improving, per York Dispatch.