Catawba County, NC: Husband, wife, 14-year-old daughter killed in apparent murder-suicide

Tuesday, Feb 8 2011, 9:30 am
CATAWBA COUNTY -- A man, woman and a 14-year-old girl are dead after an apparent murder-suicide, according to the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators said a man shot his wife and daughter before killing himself.

Deputies said someone called 911 and hung up at about 5 p.m. Sunday. When deputies arrived at the home on Grassy Creek Road outside Denver, they said all the doors were locked. Deputies could see a woman lying on the floor inside, so they kicked in a door, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Inside the home, deputies found Rick Wheeler and 14-year-old Samantha Wheeler dead. Rick Wheeler’s wife, Angela, was taken to Carolinas Medical Center, where she later died.

Family members told Channel 9 they were not aware of any problems between the couple.
“(They were) just the perfect little family,” relative Mark Hovis said. “(I was) really not expecting anything like this. The whole family is just distraught. It's hard to comment. It's hard to think right now.”

Deputies said there were indications that there was an argument prior to the shooting.
Several counselors are available to students at Mill Creek Middle School, where Samantha Wheeler was a student.