A man fatally murders his two children, the 48-year-old man who was in the middle of a separation with the mother of the little ones, set the house on fire after killing both children.
Man fatally murders his 2 children in the midst of a bitter divorce
The family of a 10- and 13-year-old Pennsylvania boy who was apparently killed by his father in a murder-suicide is mourning their loss.
“They were the most outgoing and playful kids I have ever known. They were only 10 and 13 years old and had a lot of life to live,” Madison and Zachary Zimmer’s sister wrote on a GoFundMe page
State police told reporters at the scene that firefighters went to Richard Zimmer’s home shortly after 2 p.m.
Upon arrival, they found a fire in the home and three bodies inside.
Zimmer is believed to have shot his children before setting the house on fire and killing himself, WJET reports.
According to court documents, the 48-year-old man and the children’s mother were in the midst of a bitter divorce.
On the morning of the murders, Zimmer was scheduled to appear in court for a custody hearing, but he never showed up.
That’s when the children’s family became concerned. They went to Zimmer’s home and saw smoke.
Both Madison and Zachary attended Wattsburg Elementary Center in Wattsburg, Pa.
“Zachary had a very kind and compassionate temperament, and had a gift for befriending anyone he met,” states his online obituary .
“Madison was also very protective and loving of her brother, Zachary, who died with her.
She affectionately called him ‘Bubby,'” her obituary states.
