WEST GREENWICH − A 39-year-old West Greenwich man last week shot and killed his pregnant wife and his two children and then died by suicide, police said Wednesday morning.
Nicholas Arruda shot and killed 39-year-old Danielle Arruda, their 5-year-old daughter and their 2-year-old son, according to West Greenwich Police Chief Richard N. Ramsay.
Danielle Arruda was seven months pregnant with the couple’s third child, bringing the total number of deaths to five, Ramsay said.
The shooting happened between 8 p.m. on New Year’s Day and 5:20 a.m. on Jan. 2 inside the family’s home on Cheyenne Trail, a neighborhood close to the shores of Lake Mishnock.
“I wish there could be an explanation to help you make sense of this horrific act,” Ramsay said. “But the truth is we may never know why it happened.”
Danielle Arruda’s family and friends told police they’d believed the mother was living together happily with the father of her children.
“This came out of the blue,” said her 26-year-old cousin, Mikayla Ruffner Cihat, who said she had celebrated Christmas with Danielle and her family.
Ruffner Cihat identified Danielle’s daughter as 6-year-old Adel Arruda and Danielle’s son as 2-year-old Felix Arruda. She described Danielle as a doting mother of two who was expecting a third child. She was funny and she loved animals, Ruffner Cihat said.
Adel Arruda, 6, of West Greenwich, blows a kiss on Christmas Day.
The family’s bodies were found on Jan. 3, when officers went to check on the well-being of Danielle Arruda, who hadn’t gone to work.
Police arrived around 10:13 a.m. and found “suspicious circumstances” that led them to force entry into the home.
Police discover a father, a pregnant mother, and two children with gunshot wounds
At the family’s home, the officers encountered two vehicles outside and they couldn’t get anyone to come to the door, Ramsay said.
Felix Arruda enjoys a summer day in 2024. He was 2 years old when he was slain by his father last week, police say.
“Once inside the home,” said Ramsay, “officers immediately noticed the bodies of two young children, an adult male and a pregnant female. It was apparent there were no signs of life to any of the bodies and that all four had suffered fatal gunshot wounds.”
Nicholas Arruda died from a self-inflicted single gunshot wound, Ramsay said, adding that investigators did not see any signs of a struggle by any of the victims.
Investigators believe the M4 used by Nicholas Arruda was acquired in 2018, Ramsay said. He said he did not know where the gun was acquired.
A stuffed animal toy and bouquets of flowers on the porch of a West Greenwich home where police say they found four bodies on Friday.
The suspected gun: An M4 semiautomatic
Lying on the ground next to Nicholas Arruda was an M4-type semiautomatic weapon, Ramsay said, adding that investigators believe the father killed his family with the same gun but they have not conducted a “formal firearms investigation.”
Investigators believe Arruda had legally acquired the M4 as well as a shotgun and one other semiautomatic gun, he added.
A past allegation of felony domestic violence
In 2014, West Warwick police arrested Nicholas Arruda and accused him of felony domestic violence, Ramsay said. The case did not involve Danielle Arruda.
The victim did not cooperate, and the charge was dismissed, Ramsay said.
West Greenwich police never received any indication of trouble at the Arruda family’s home on Cheyenne Trail, Ramsay said.
“They lived together, and all indications from family and friends were that they loved each other and they loved their children,” Ramsay said.
Police haven’t had any previous contact with the family.
Rhode Island’s “red flag” law, passed in 2018, aims to remove guns from violence-prone individuals at “imminent” risk of killing themselves or others. The law was never applied to Nicholas Arruda.
More: Chilling footage before domestic murder-suicide sparks debate: Should the public watch?
“I wish there could be an explanation to help you make sense of this horrific act,” said West Greenwich Police Chief Richard N. Ramsay. “But the truth is we may never know why it happened.”
An unemployed father homeschooling his daughter
Danielle Arruda graduated from North Kingstown High School in the early 2000s. Her online résumé says she has worked as a paralegal.
Nicholas Arruda had previously earned money as a painter, but he hadn’t worked in many years after suffering a back injury, Ramsay said.
The father was homeschooling the couple’s children while Danielle worked at her job.
Investigators said they have not recovered any note or found any clues to explain why Arruda carried out the killings and then killed himself.
Homicide is a leading cause of death among pregnant women, as well as pregnant girls, and females who have given birth within the past year, according to a review of research on the subject that was published last year in the journal, Trauma, Violence & Abuse.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Ramsay said. “There’s not really much you can do with an investigation like this.”
Pregnancy and homicide risk
Homicide accounted for 10.2% of deaths that happened during pregnancy, the article says. The majority of those deaths, 56.3%, were firearms-related, it says.
Women and girls who are pregnant or who have given birth during the past year are twice as likely to die by homicide, the article says.
If you or someone you know might be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, or chat online at 988lifeline.org
This story has been updated with new information.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: West Greenwich police release details in ‘horrific’ killing of pregnant woman, kids
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