A pregnant woman and her two young children found dead inside their West Greenwich, Rhode Island, home on Friday were shot by their husband and father who then killed himself in an apparent murder-suicide, police said Wednesday.
West Greenwich Police Chief Richard Ramsay said officers first responded to the home on Cheyenne Trail on Jan. 3 for a well-being check after one of the residents failed to show up for work. Inside they found the bodies of four people. Investigators said it was immediately apparent that there were no signs of life and that all four had suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
Ramsay identified the bodies Wednesday as 39-year-old Danielle Arruda, who was seven months pregnant, 39-year-old Nicholas Arruda, 5-year-old Adel Arruda, and 2-year-old Felix Arruda. Danielle, Adel and Felix suffered multiple gunshot wounds from what police described as an M4-style semi-automatic weapon.
Nicholas Arruda, who police confirmed was the suspect in this case, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Ramsay said. A gun was found lying next to him.
Police also noted said the door to exit the house was locked and chained from inside and a gun was found lying next to Nicholas Arruda. There is no danger to the public.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
Ramsay said so far, investigators do not have a theory for the motive behind the apparent murder-suicide, which they believe took place sometime between Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 2 at 5:20 a.m. Neighbors reported hearing popping noises that could have been fireworks or gunshots in that timeframe, according to police.
The Arrudas purchased the home in December 2019 and police had no history of contact with the family, Ramsay said. Nicholas Arruda had one felony domestic arrest in 2014 out of West Warwick, but the case was dismissed when the victim decided not to cooperate. The victim was not Danielle Arruda, police said.
The suspect legally owned several firearms.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
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