There are still many unanswered mysteries in Beaver County, but authorities believe this was a murder-suicide, with the oldest son pulling the trigger and the younger calling 911 from inside the home.
“The family, all of them, were avid hunters and in my conversations with them, hunting always comes up. I knew they had a lot of firearms in the house,” said North Sewickley Township Police Chief Jeff Becze.
The family has now tragically passed away, according to Becze.
“We can’t conclusively determine but it does appear it was a murder and a suicide,” said Beaver County DA Nate Bible.
Clifford Hunt Jr., 19, is believed to have shot his father Clifford, 51; his mother Michelle, 48; and his 16-year-old brother in the head before killing himself.
“Pure shock, it kind of seems unbelievable that something like this could even happen in an area like ours, it’s so quiet it’s so relaxed and to hear of any loss in the community is horrible,” said Autumn Ashurst.
Ashurst is distraught because she saw Michelle just hours before her death at the same house. Their friendship grew out of their shared love for farm animals. Ashurst was handing her a new flock of ducks.
“Oh, she was over the moon about getting ducks. She had a whole spot set up for them wanted me to bring them in and said they were ready, and the geese and turkey were checking them out. She was very happy and very excited,” Ashurst said.
This small community is currently grieving and has organized a vigil for the victims on Thursday at 8 p.m. at Giant Eagle in Ellwood City.
“It’s not only one tragedy but it’s four all at the same time and I can’t imagine how many lives are ruined over this it’s insane,” Ashurst said.
The 16-year-old teen, who was highly regarded within his school community, was a junior at Riverside High School. He had aspirations of joining the Air Force after completing his education.
