WASHINGTON – A mother and her two young daughters were found dead inside their unlocked car Monday afternoon in Hagerstown, Maryland. And police don’t know what happened.
The 32-year-old mother and her two daughters, an 18-month-old and a 6-month-old, were found by an employee leaving for the day at Western Heights Middle School just after 3 p.m. There are reports the car was spotted “possibly” parked in the employee-only lot that morning, police say.
Captain Paul Kifer with Hagerstown Police says the medical examiner’s findings could take weeks to get back. Meanwhile there’s not much evidence for nvestigators to work with.
“It’s very difficult. It’s one we’ve been scratching our heads over because there’s no signs of trauma, because there’s no indication of a note or anything left that would indicate suicide,” Kifer says.
The woman, whose name is not being released because her immediate family has not yet been notified, was from the South American country of Guyana, police say. They have no idea why she was parked at the school.
“As to why she pulled in there, is a huge mystery for us,” Kifer says.
The woman moved to Hagerstown recently and had only been in the United States for a few years. Both of her children were born here, police say. The girls’ father did not live with them and was notified of their death Monday evening.
There was nothing inside the car that could have been used to kill them, Kifer says, including any medications or weapons.
“The fact it was so hot and the fact the car wasn’t running but the windows were closed and doors were shut, it very possibly could be it was a heat-related incident,” Kifer says.
Police are putting their efforts towards contacting the victim’s immediate family and are retracing her steps Monday morning to try and find any clues that might shed light on her and her daughters’ deaths.
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