Carola Arnau in the middle of bitter custody battle, shot dead her two young children in their sleep, killed family dog, set home on fire and commited suicide
Pennsylvania mother-of-two Carola Arnau, decided it was better to end it all than letting her estranged husband take custody of their children
Arnau, 40, who was in the process of divorcing husband Miguel Arnau, ended the bitter custody battle when she shot dead their two young children in their sleep at the family home, Tuesday
She shot her 10-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son multiple times before ending her own life and setting fire to her home on fire, then putting the gun to her head
Responding fire fighters Arnau, 40, was found dead along with her daughter and son inside their Strasbourg, Pennsylvania, home Tuesday
Coroner ruled the mother and children died as a result of double murder-suicide carried out by Arnau, who also killed the family dog
Before putting a gun to her head, the mother-of-two set several fires inside the family home including the detached garage where Miguel Arnau had been staying on the property
The couple had been married 10 years, in Feb Carla had accused 45-year-old Miguel of inappropriate contact with their son, which proved to be unfounded
Carola Arnau [photo], shot dead her two children and then herself on Tuesday amid a custody battle
An embittered Lancaster County mother to a cleaver to her contentious divorce process Tuesday.
40-year-old Carola Arnau, who was in the process of getting a divorce from husband Miguel Arnau, 45, shot dead her two young children as they slept and then herself before the bodies were found in their burning Strasbourg Pennsylvania home.
Lancaster County coroner, Stephen Diamantoni, ruled the deaths Carola Arnau and her two children a murder-suicide after autopsies Wednesday morning.
Arnau he said, shot her 10-year-old daughter multiple times in the head and her four-year-old son multiple times in the body before shooting herself in the head.
Carola Arnau, effectively wiped out her family, including herself in a triple murder-suicide, Tuesday
First responders survey the torched property in Strasbourg, Pennsylvania, Wednesday morning after getting reports of a fire on a property
Emergency responders entered the home and found the bodies of the mother and children in their beds in a bedroom. Miguel Arnau was not in the detached garage ‘home’ when the shooting and arson occurred
Emergency responders summoned to the Strasburg home at 1433 Village Road at about 3.20am Tuesday found the bodies in their beds in a bedroom. The family dog was also found dead.
The fires in the home were ruled arson. Officials said several fires were deliberately set on the property using an accelerant, including inside a detached garage where Arnau’s estranged husband, Miguel, had been staying. He was not present on the property at the time of the shootings.
A firearm was found on Carola Arnau, who had legally purchased a gun Monday along with some ammunition which authorities said was accounted for.
District Attorney Craig Stedman told reporters Tuesday that the ‘only small comfort’ was that the children appeared to have been shot in their sleep.
‘I tell people, in my job, some days are worse than others, and this is one of the worst, and certainly one of the darkest,’ Stedman added.
Miguel Arnau, had been at work from 10pm the previous evening and was not home at the time of the double murder-suicide.
The ME said said the deceased woman shot her 10-year-old daughter multiple times in the head and her four-year-old son, [seen with her in the photo], multiple times in the body as the children slept in their beds
The huge fire at the Arnaus’s home was the result of several fires were deliberately set on the property using an accelerant, police said, including inside a detached garage where Miguel, had been staying
Police Forensic team investigates the scene Carola Arnau and her two young children have been found shot to death with their home found burning under suspicious circumstances
Miguel Arnau was cooperating with authorities and Stedman offered his condolences to him.
A neighbor who saw Miguel arrive home after the deadly incident described him to as ‘hysterical.’
Stedman said the couple had been going through ‘somewhat of a bitter divorce’ and the situation had been ‘escalating.’
On February 22, 2016, Carola filed for divorce from Miguel, writing that their 10-year marriage was ‘irretrievably broken.’
A year later, the mother-of-two filed for a protection from abuse order, accusing her husband of ‘inappropriate contact’ with their 4-year-old son – a claim that was ultimately dismissed as unfounded by Children and Youth Services.
Miguel Aranu’s parental rights were temporally suspended but restored on April 4 when his estranged wife withdrew the protection order.
PA authorities said Carola Arnau had been receiving mental health treatment
Miguel Arnau sued for custody of his two children and a judge issued a temporary order granting Miguel shared custody of the children every other weekend and after school until 7pm.
On April 20,Miguel Arnau dropped his complaint, saying he and Carola wished to resolve their custody issues privately.
According to the district attorney’s office, Carola Arnau had been receiving mental health treatment, and Stedman said authorities were interested in learning about her state of mind from relatives and others.
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