Authorities Investigating 'Family Tragedy' After Elderly Parents, 27-Year-Old Daughter Found Dead Inside Springfield Township Home
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) -- Authorities are investigating a "family tragedy" after three people were found dead inside a home in Springfield Township. The bodies of Robert McIntyre and Sheila Dolan, both 71, and their daughter, 27-year-old Julia McIntyre, were discovered Monday evening during a wellness check.
When officers went inside, they found a bloody mess.
"This appears to be a family tragedy," Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said.
According to Steele, Julia McIntyre appears to have killed herself.
"Through our preliminary investigation, the daughter's fatal wound seems to be self-inflicted, although we are awaiting the autopsy results and the forensic pathologist's final determination before we say anything further," Steele said.
Neighbors remember seeing Springfield Township Police swarm the home Monday after finding the bodies.
"It's just very shocking and very sad," neighbor Annette Cianfrini said.
Cianfrini isn't sure what happened but believes Julia McIntyre may have suffered from mental issues after recalling a recent conversation she had with the woman's father.
"He said I just have the utmost respect for Julia, she's such a courageous girl," Cianfrini said, adding that the daughter went "through a transformation in Germany."
Police say a dog was found alive and unharmed inside the home. It's now in the care of family.
McIntyre's longtime friend, who didn't want to show her face on camera, says McIntyre graduated from Springfield Township High School in 2011 and was a known animal lover.
"I don't have words. I'm very sad. I loved her parents. I loved her. She was very nice," the friend said.
School officials say McIntyre worked as a junior varsity assistant softball coach.
Investigators say the public is not in any danger, but the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office stopped short of calling what happened here a double-murder-suicide.
CBS3's Matt Petrillo contributed to this report.
