A mother and daughter in Bucks County, Pennsylvania have been charged in the deaths of five relatives, including three children, according to ABC and an affidavit of probable cause. Both are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Authorities say the case came to light after the Bucks County Children and Youth Social Services Agency made a welfare check at the family’s apartment on a Saturday and left a card when no one answered. A caseworker returned two days later, and when there was again no answer, a maintenance worker was asked to open the door. Inside, the two women, Shana and Dominique, were found in a bed. According to the affidavit, the apartment was ransacked and the women appeared disoriented, so police were called and the women were taken to a hospital.
Police then found four bodies in a small bedroom, and a fifth was discovered underneath another, according to reports. Shana, 45, and Dominique, 19, were questioned. The affidavit says they first denied knowing what happened and told investigators that a boyfriend of one of the victims had come in with two other men and killed everyone but them.
The affidavit says Shana later claimed that everyone in the apartment, including the children, had talked about wanting to die. Dominique reportedly went on to describe how each person was killed, and Shana’s account differed on who did what. Authorities said no other suspects were being sought.
Shana was arraigned on five counts of murder and a conspiracy charge and is being held without bail. Dominique was expected to face the same charges. The cause of death for each victim had not been officially determined at the time of the reports.
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