Ohio- Family of five dead in apparent murder suicide

[JoeFromLB]

This one isn’t getting much coverage. Is it because it’s not clear which parent was the killer?

Well, the obituary has zero mention of the father, or his family. I linked it above. Just the mother and her children. The father will not be remembered at the memorial service.

 

[SaguaroSpirit]

It shows Darth Vader on the left side and the words are quoting that character saying “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

Darth Vader's "I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing" | Know Your Meme

"I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing" is a memorable quote uttered by the character Darth Vader from the 1977 sci-fi film Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Ho

knowyourmeme.com

Super apropos shirt for a sadistic narcissist like JD to wear.

ETA: wait, no. All the others are wearing Harry Potter shirts, so his is probably a play on that quote. And maybe it’s not Darth Vader but the villain from Harry Potter (uh…Snape?)?

 

[rhino]

This one isn’t getting much coverage. Is it because it’s not clear which parent was the killer?

From the article linked in the very first post

“Jason Dunham, whose gun was used in the shooting, had a gunshot wound “consistent with being self-inflicted,” Stark County’s chief investigator, Harry Campbell, told the outlet.”

 

[Betty P]

This one isn’t getting much coverage. Is it because it’s not clear which parent was the killer?

It might be the locals, not wanting bad publicity for the area, etc.

Akron Beacon Journal should be covering it, though.

 

[ArianeEmory]

From the article linked in the very first post

“Jason Dunham, whose gun was used in the shooting, had a gunshot wound “consistent with being self-inflicted,” Stark County’s chief investigator, Harry Campbell, told the outlet.”

I admittedly missed that, but the very next sentence in the article is:

“Officials have not identified who fired the shots.”

I skimmed a few more articles before I made the previous post and couldn’t find any other confirmation, just that both parents owned guns. (I know that statistically it was probably the father, I just though the vagueness in reporting was unusual.)

 

[IceIce9]

I admittedly missed that, but the very next sentence in the article is:

“Officials have not identified who fired the shots.”

I skimmed a few more articles before I made the previous post and couldn’t find any other confirmation, just that both parents owned guns. (I know that statistically it was probably the father, I just though the vagueness in reporting was unusual.)

Here is another article:

"I've been out here for 23 years, and I can say it's the worst thing I've ever been a part of," said Uniontown Police Chief Michael Batchik. "This is a tragedy that no community has ever wanted, and I would have never thought it would have ever hit this community."

He also said that the children were found in a separate room, while Jason and Melissa were found together.

Investigators currently believe that Jason shot his wife and their three kids before turning the gun on himself.

https://local12.com/news/nation-world/5-people-including-3-children-found-dead-apparent-murder-suicide-domestic-dispute-uniontown-police-department-officers-response-involved-deadly-shooting-shots-fired-carnation-avenue-dunham-kids-boy-girl-scouts-lake-local-schools-tragedy-ohio

 

[arielilane]

Here is a recent OH murder/suicide where the mother identified as likely the shooter.

Sheriff: Mom shot family minutes before deputies arrived to evict them from foreclosed Ohio Township home

Nothing in the house was packed, leading deputies to believe Theresa Cain hid the eviction from her family right until the end, the sheriff said.

www.cincinnati.com

3/3/2023

Investigators believe Theresa Cain shot her family members, killing three of them, just minutes before deputies arrived to serve them with eviction papers as they were removed from their foreclosed home, Sheriff Steve Leahy said Thursday.

The eviction was the culmination of a long history of financial problems for the family that appears to be the motive of the murder-suicide that left a total of four relatives dead and a fifth fighting for her life, he said.

 

[Chimera]

Hmm…. All died from multiple gunshot wounds…. Even the “suicide”?

I'm guessing that the weapon used was in the hand of or close to the killer's body ?
Omo.

 

[Chimera]

5 dead, including 3 kids, in Lake Township shooting; police suspect murder-suicide

Victims identified as Jason Dunham, 46, Melissa Dunham, 42, and their children Renee, 15, Amber, 12, and Evan, 9.

www.cantonrep.com

Also from this link :
“Melissa was a wonderful mother," Denise Gazdacko said. "She was involved in Girl Scouts a lot. And they did everything involving the kids. The part behind doors, we don’t know.”

She said Jason Dunham helped the Gazdackos put up their basketball hoop. She also said he was a nice man but controlling.
Red bolding mine.
Two other bits stood out :
“And then Renee was more of the tomboy. Her dad made her do all the hard yardwork and stuff,” Denise Gazdacko said.
Denise Gazdacko said the Dunham family had started spending more time inside recently.

“That kind of concerned us somewhat," she said.
Red bolding mine.
Re. the third red bolded : Maybe the dad didn't want others to see that things were starting to unravel ?

If he was yelling at them then keeping them inside might have been his solution ?

Idk, but a lack of any police visits to the home could mean that the others were afraid to let anything 'slip' outside of their home ?

Omo.

 

[Chimera]

A few more links :

Ohio account, husband and their kids found dead in murder suicide

Jason Dunham, 46, Melissa Dunham, 42, and their children Renee, 15, Amber, 12, and Evan, 9 were found dead in their home on Thursday evening.

www.dailymail.co.uk

The firm's website says she specialized in corporate tax returns, with an expertise in Employer Retention Credit program reimbursements.

Elizabeth Bartz, CEO of Akron-based State and Federal Communications, said was 'devastated' by the news. She had known Melissa Dunham for more than 10 years.

'She’s a great Girl Scouts mom. She would always have her daughters send me their cookie order forms,' she told the Canton Repository.

"We are devastated by the shocking and tragic news of the deaths of Melissa Dunham and her family," Bober Markey Fedorovich Chief Operating Officer Sara Martin said in a statement. "Melissa was an esteemed member of the BMF leadership team and a close friend to many of our associates. Melissa's contributions during her 18 years with our firm have been immeasurable."

Besides Melissa's successful career, it sounds like she was very involved in her children's lives.
That takes a lot of work !

5 dead, including 3 kids, in Lake Township shooting; police suspect murder-suicide

Victims identified as Jason Dunham, 46, Melissa Dunham, 42, and their children Renee, 15, Amber, 12, and Evan, 9.

www.cantonrep.com

They found Melissa and Jason Dunham and their three children dead in their bedrooms from an apparent homicide-suicide, the Uniontown Police Department said.
Red bolded by me.
Other sources state the kids were found in one room and the parents in another ?
Still --how awful.

For some reason I'd hoped everyone died whilst sound sleep, unknowing.
Even better -- if the perp had taken himself out first and spared the innocents !
So loathsome and selfish.

usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/08/25/uniontown-ohio-lake-township-murder-suicide-five-people-dead-murder-suicide/70676981007/

Family of 5, including 3 kids, found dead in Ohio home with gunshot wounds: What to know

Five members of a family were found dead at a Lake Township home Thursday evening. The incident is being investigated murder-suicide

www.beaconjournal.com

5 family members found dead in Ohio home in apparent quadruple murder-suicide

The Uniontown Police Department is calling the incident a "domestic dispute that turned deadly."

www.nbcnews.com

^^^ A short video interview with their neighbors who look shaken and devastated.

5 family members found dead in Stark County home; police investigating incident as quadruple murder-suicide

Police officers located the bodies while performing a welfare check on Carnation Avenue in Lake Township. Three children were among those killed.

www.wkyc.com

".... Jason Dunham's wound was "consistent with being self-inflicted."

5 Ohio family members found dead in apparent murder-suicide

Police identified the five victims as couple Jason Dunham, 46 and Melissa Dunham, 42, along with their three children, Renee Dunham, 15, Amber Dunham, 12, and Evan Dunham, 9, all of whom “suc…

nypost.com

Police say they were never called to the Dunhams’ house before for any reason and are still investigating a possible motive for the suspected homicide-suicide.

Wonder if Melissa could no longer bear to live with him, and said she was leaving ?
Even with no 911 calls to that house before, imo a person who could annihilate his entire family must have been a terror to live with.
Imo.
Omo

 

[airportwoman]

5 dead, including 3 kids, in Lake Township shooting; police suspect murder-suicide

Victims identified as Jason Dunham, 46, Melissa Dunham, 42, and their children Renee, 15, Amber, 12, and Evan, 9.

www.cantonrep.com

Also from this link :
“Melissa was a wonderful mother," Denise Gazdacko said. "She was involved in Girl Scouts a lot. And they did everything involving the kids. The part behind doors, we don’t know.”

She said Jason Dunham helped the Gazdackos put up their basketball hoop. She also said he was a nice man but controlling.
Red bolding mine.
Two other bits stood out :
“And then Renee was more of the tomboy. Her dad made her do all the hard yardwork and stuff,” Denise Gazdacko said.
Denise Gazdacko said the Dunham family had started spending more time inside recently.

“That kind of concerned us somewhat," she said.
Red bolding mine.
Re. the third red bolded : Maybe the dad didn't want others to see that things were starting to unravel ?

If he was yelling at them then keeping them inside might have been his solution ?

Idk, but a lack of any police visits to the home could mean that the others were afraid to let anything 'slip' outside of their home ?

Omo.

The two oldest kids were girls, aged 15 and 12. With school about to start, I'll let everyone reading this fill in the possible blanks.

I haven't dived down this rabbit hole, so I'm going to ask, did Jason work outside the home himself?

 

[arielilane]

5 family members found dead by police performing welfare check

Police called to perform a welfare check found five deceased family members believed to be part of a murder-suicide.

www.wcpo.com

Last updated 1:52 PM, Aug 28, 2023

 

[airportwoman]

There's probably not a lot to update, because they know what happened and who did it.

 

[Snoopster]

I found a database that has started tracking family annihilators.

IndyStar's examination of thousands of homicides, including the 227 cases of family annihilation since 2020, reveals men are almost always the perpetrators. It also found:

• Primary risk factors include prior domestic violence, substance abuse, and access to guns.
• The killer was a male in 94% of the cases.
• A gun was used in about 86% of cases. Other methods include stabbing, strangulation, blunt force trauma, asphyxiation and arson.
• More than three-quarters of the cases occurred in the South and the Midwest. Texas had the most — 33 — followed by Florida, Arizona and Ohio. Only 10 states and the District of Columbia had none.

“It’s a very narcissistic orientation,” said David Adams, a Boston psychologist and the author of "Why Do They Kill?: Men Who Murder Their Intimate Partners."
“You’re basically saying, ‘I don’t want to live my life, and I don’t want anyone else to live either.’”

IMHO this is why domestic abusers should not be able to own firearms in the States.

I know it won't end up in that database (because it's American), but I am heartbroken about a family annihilation in Quebec. Based on the definition that I read, the deaths may or may not involve the spouse (ex) or themselves.
Here is a case from just this week, where the estranged husband killed his 3-year-old twins and then himself. He did not kill his estranged wife. She now has to live with this loss.

CANADA - Ianik Lamontagne (46) murders his 3-yr-old twin sons and then kills himself, Launadiere Quebec, 26 Aug 2023

Why-oh-why do these guys feel a need to take their family with them??!

 

[housewife]

A few more links :

Ohio account, husband and their kids found dead in murder suicide

Jason Dunham, 46, Melissa Dunham, 42, and their children Renee, 15, Amber, 12, and Evan, 9 were found dead in their home on Thursday evening.

www.dailymail.co.uk

The firm's website says she specialized in corporate tax returns, with an expertise in Employer Retention Credit program reimbursements.

Elizabeth Bartz, CEO of Akron-based State and Federal Communications, said was 'devastated' by the news. She had known Melissa Dunham for more than 10 years.

'She’s a great Girl Scouts mom. She would always have her daughters send me their cookie order forms,' she told the Canton Repository.

"We are devastated by the shocking and tragic news of the deaths of Melissa Dunham and her family," Bober Markey Fedorovich Chief Operating Officer Sara Martin said in a statement. "Melissa was an esteemed member of the BMF leadership team and a close friend to many of our associates. Melissa's contributions during her 18 years with our firm have been immeasurable."

Besides Melissa's successful career, it sounds like she was very involved in her children's lives.
That takes a lot of work !

5 dead, including 3 kids, in Lake Township shooting; police suspect murder-suicide

Victims identified as Jason Dunham, 46, Melissa Dunham, 42, and their children Renee, 15, Amber, 12, and Evan, 9.

www.cantonrep.com

They found Melissa and Jason Dunham and their three children dead in their bedrooms from an apparent homicide-suicide, the Uniontown Police Department said.
Red bolded by me.
Other sources state the kids were found in one room and the parents in another ?
Still --how awful.

For some reason I'd hoped everyone died whilst sound sleep, unknowing.
Even better -- if the perp had taken himself out first and spared the innocents !
So loathsome and selfish.

usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/08/25/uniontown-ohio-lake-township-murder-suicide-five-people-dead-murder-suicide/70676981007/

Family of 5, including 3 kids, found dead in Ohio home with gunshot wounds: What to know

Five members of a family were found dead at a Lake Township home Thursday evening. The incident is being investigated murder-suicide

www.beaconjournal.com

5 family members found dead in Ohio home in apparent quadruple murder-suicide

The Uniontown Police Department is calling the incident a "domestic dispute that turned deadly."

www.nbcnews.com

^^^ A short video interview with their neighbors who look shaken and devastated.

5 family members found dead in Stark County home; police investigating incident as quadruple murder-suicide

Police officers located the bodies while performing a welfare check on Carnation Avenue in Lake Township. Three children were among those killed.

www.wkyc.com

".... Jason Dunham's wound was "consistent with being self-inflicted."

5 Ohio family members found dead in apparent murder-suicide

Police identified the five victims as couple Jason Dunham, 46 and Melissa Dunham, 42, along with their three children, Renee Dunham, 15, Amber Dunham, 12, and Evan Dunham, 9, all of whom “suc…

nypost.com

Police say they were never called to the Dunhams’ house before for any reason and are still investigating a possible motive for the suspected homicide-suicide.

Wonder if Melissa could no longer bear to live with him, and said she was leaving ?
Even with no 911 calls to that house before, imo a person who could annihilate his entire family must have been a terror to live with.
Imo.
Omo

Completely agree. It makes me think coercive control could have been a factor.
Seems like the killer was very "my way or the highway".