Police say they believe Michael Vanderlinden strangled and stabbed his wife and stabbed his 4- and 7-year-old sons to death before dying in a car crash Thursday.
Police identified Linda Vanderlinden, 34, and her children, Matthew, 4, and Julien, 7, on Friday, the day after they were found in their bedrooms in their Van Buren Township home.
Police found the door unlocked and an 8 1/2-inch butcher knife inside, which police say they believe was used in the killings. They had gone to the house to notify Linda Vanderlinden that her husband was killed earlier that morning in a head-on crash in Indiana that also killed another man. Authorities said Michael Vanderlinden was driving the wrong way at the time.
Police said in a news release Friday that the marriage might have been strained and that Vanderlinden was in the process of moving out of the home. Friends and family have told police that he might have been abusive ? whether verbal or physical was unclear.
?While the husband, Michael, is suspected of being responsible for the killings, we have not reached any conclusions at this time, and our investigation continues,? Van Buren Township Police Capt. Greg Laurain said.
Vanderlinden was believed to have attempted suicide last year with pills and alcohol when police were called to the family?s home in November. Emergency personnel determined that Vanderlinden, 38, had grabbed his wife during an argument, Laurain said.
Laurain said Vanderlinden pleaded with his wife not to leave him. She ultimately returned, but Vanderlinden was taken to the hospital. Laurain said the Wayne County prosecutor decided not to press charges because of a lack of evidence.
Laurain said Linda Vanderlinden?s cause of death was strangulation. She had a secondary stab wound to the chest. The children died of multiple stab wounds to the chest and arms.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner?s Office has not determined when the killings occurred.
Michael Vanderlinden was last seen in his neighborhood about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.
He crashed head-on into a car on I-94 near Michigan City, Ind., while driving the wrong way early Thursday. The driver of the other car, Juan Nelson, 45, of Portage, Ind., was killed. Laurain said a witness told authorities that Vanderlinden was driving with his headlights off at the time. Indiana State Police could find nothing ?of evidentiary value? inside Vanderlinden?s burned vehicle.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Staff writer Megha Satyanarayana contributed to this report.
Source: http://i4crash.com/van-buren-township-dad-killed-in-crash-suspected-of-strangling-stabbing-family/
greystone sidney crosby at the drive in alternative minimum tax modeselektor gran torino gloria steinem
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.