March 10, 2011 01:41:00 PM
S. BRADY CALHOUN / News Herald Writer
SPRINGFIELD — They were a quiet, churchgoing family, neighbors said, but sometime this week one of them killed the other two and then committed suicide, Springfield officials said.
Three bodies, 72-year-old Ruben Leon Hammond, his wife, 56-year-old Chin Hui Hammond, and their daughter, 31-year-old Lita Faye Hammond, were found by police shortly before 10 a.m. Thursday inside their home at 4008 E. 14th St. Friends and neighbors had not seen the family for several days, which was unusual, officials said. Normally, they were out in the garden and regularly attended a local church.
Next-door neighbors, Carol and David Nichols, already were concerned when a friend of the family showed up and said they could not reach the Hammonds by phone.
“We knocked on the window and the door, and when they didn’t answer, we kind of had a sinking feeling,” Carol Nichols said. “It is a tragedy for sure.”
Chief Phillip Thorne of the Springfield Police Department said his officers broke down the door to the home to get in and found the bodies.
“There is indications of foul play, but it appears to be a contained incident,” Thorne said. “There are no suspects on the loose. … We believe that whoever caused the death of these individuals is in the house.”
While Thorne spoke outside the home Thursday afternoon, his investigator and medical examiner’s office investigators were still inside the home gathering evidence. Thorne said authorities had only responded to the house a couple times in the past few years and that was to help the residents with medical issues.
Neighbors were stunned at the news, he added.
“Nobody seems to know anything. Nobody heard anything,” Thorne said. He added that authorities would not be releasing more details about the cause of death until the medical examiner was finished with his tests.
The Nichols have lived next to the couple for nearly 20 years, and Carol Nichols described the family as friendly.
“It makes me sick to my stomach,” she added. “I’m shocked.”
Below are earlier versions of this story:
SPRINGFIELD — Three people were found dead this morning in a house in Springfield in what officials believe is a double murder-suicide.
Springfield police said the people found dead at 4008 E. 14th St. were identified as Ruben Leon Hammond, 72, his wife Chin Hui Hammond, 56, and their daughter Lita Faye Hammond, 31. The family's next of kin in North Carolina has been notified.
Police said authorities were called this morning by a neighbor, who said she had not seen the family outside their house in several days, which was unusual. Police went to the home at 9:50 a.m. today to check on the family’s welfare and discovered the bodies.
Officials at the scene said one victim apparently killed the other two victims before taking their own life. Officers said the deaths happened sometime in the past few days. Determining which of the three killed the other two will be determined after forensic tests.
The family had live in the house for more than 20 years, police said.
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SPRINGFIELD — Three people were found dead this morning in a house in Springfield in what officials believe is a double murder-suicide.
Springfield police said the people found dead at 4008 E. 14th St. were a husband and wife and their daughter. The names and ages of the deceased were not released, pending notification of next of kin.
Police said authorities were called this morning by a neighbor, who said she had not seen the family outside their house in several days, which was unusual. Police went to the home at 9:50 a.m. today to check on the family’s welfare and discovered the bodies.
Investigators said there is no suspect on the loose.
Officials at the scene said one victim apparently killed the other two victims before taking their own life. Officers said the deaths happened sometime in the past few days.
The family had live in the house for more than 20 years, police said.
Springfield Police and the Medical Examiner’s Office are at the scene.
A News Herald reporter and photographer are at the scene and will be updating this article as soon as possible.
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SPRINGFIELD — Three people were found dead this morning in a house in Springfield in what officials believe is a double murder-suicide.
Springfield police said the people found dead at 4008 E. 14th St. were a husband and wife and their daughter. The names and ages of the deceased were not released, pending notification of next of kin.
Police said authorities were called this morning by a neighbor, who said she had not seen the family outside their house in several days, which was unusual. Police went to the home at 9:50 a.m. today to check on the family’s welfare and discovered the bodies.
Investigators said there is no suspect on the loose.
Officials at the scene said one victim apparently killed the other two victims before taking their own life. Officers said the deaths happened sometime in the past few days.
The family had live in the house for more than 20 years, police said.
Springfield Police and the Medical Examiner’s Office are at the scene.
A News Herald reporter and photographer are at the scene and will be updating this article as soon as possible.
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SPRINGFIELD — Police are at the scene of the discovery of three bodies in a Springfield house at 4008 E. 14th St.
At this point, there is no information regarding the cause of the deaths.
A News Herald reporter and photographer are at the scene and we will be updating this article as soon as possible.
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