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Neighbor Awakes To Police Tape And A 9-Year-Old’s Murder-Suicide

By Antonio J. Newell
Published on: 15:27 PST, Jun 12, 2016

When neighbor Ellen Muller awoke on June 12, she found several police in her yard. Immediately, a nine-year-old girl came to mind.

According to Muller, she had always seen a little girl playing in the neighbor’s yard. Specifically, the nine-year-old girl was her neighbor’s daughter, and she enjoyed soccer. Many days, Muller would see the little girl forcefully kicking the ball into her goal.

But, do you ever really know who’s living next to you?

On Sunday, June 12 — at 35 James Street, Littlestown, Pennsylvania — a heinous tragedy struck the neighborhood. When Muller awoke to police tape actively restricting her yard, she instantly thought, “Dear Lord, don’t let that little girl be dead.” However, she soon found out that the father had murdered his nine-year-old girl overnight.

Muller mentions, “She’s too little. I prayed, don’t let it be her; she ain’t had a long life yet…but it was.”

According to Pennsylvania Live, approximately at 3 a.m. EST, the father shot the nine-year-old girl and turned the gun on himself thereafter.

Littlestown Police Sergeant Robert Funt says that the bodies were discovered inside the house, and both father and daughter were deceased at the scene. According to Funt, autopsies are scheduled for Tuesday at Lehigh Valley Medical Center.

During the night, according to the aforementioned neighbor, Muller didn’t hear any gunshots. Moreover, she mentions that she’s glad she didn’t hear the shots. She was used to seeing the little girl play outside. Might such a thing have been too tragic to keep in memory?

As concerns the survivor, the girl’s mother — the father’s wife — was injured as well but wasn’t killed during the incident. The source states that the nine-year-old’s mother was wounded in the shoulder. When police arrived on the scene, the woman ran out of the house to meet the responding officers.

Reports indicate that the little girl’s mother is in “satisfactory condition,” after she was taken in for treatment. A medical helicopter landed in a nearby soccer field and transported her to York Hospital, says ABC News.

The police sergeant also mentions that this is the first shooting death in the city since 2008.

Another neighbor, Deborah Berger, agrees by stating that the news is a complete shocker to the community. Likewise, she notes that many still haven’t come to terms with the nine-year-old girl’s murder. Berger mentions as follows.

“It’s a quiet neighborhood. A small town. Nothing like this ever happened. It’s just surprise. Concern.”

Fox-43 News also reports that Berger stated, “It’s horrible. It’s unnerving. It’s uncomfortable. I feel terrible for the family. Wish that…there was something I could have done.”

Neighbors describe the little girl’s father, seemingly, as a man in his late 30’s. Also, he had a disability that required him to use a cane. As further elaboration to the town’s quiet reputation, they note that — when the weather was nice — he was usually sitting outside, enjoying the day in his lawn chair.

Neighbors also state that the mother works at a local restaurant in Hanover.

Apparently, there was no sign of domestic violence at the little girl’s home, says Pennsylvania Live. Neighbors mention that this little girl’s murder is beyond any scope they could’ve imagined.

They note that the nine-year-old girl also had a dog — a beagle — and cherished it. While little girl was labeled outgoing and friendly, neighbors say that the rest of the family — the father and mother — tended to keep to themselves.

According to sources, the 9-year-old girl, her father, and mother will remain unnamed for now, in order to notify the rest of their families of this tragic incident.

This case is still under investigation.

All in all, what are your thoughts concerning the little girl’s murder? What do you think transpired in the house during the early morning hours of June 12? If you have any additional information — or just want to share your opinion — feel free to leave your comments below.

[Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images News]

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