Six family members have been killed in apparent homicide and suicide in suburban Dallas, after two brothers signed a suicide pact that included the deaths of the other family members.
Allen police discovered the deaths after a concerned friend called police around 1 a.m. Monday and was concerned that a person was suicidal. Jon Felty said.
“The two brothers made an agreement that they were going to complete suicide, and from there it went where the whole family was taken,” Felty said.
One of the brothers described in an Instagram post what happened or what would happen, Felty said.
One brother was 19 and the other in his 20s, he said. According to the victims, there was a grandparent, two parents and a sister.
Police on Monday identified the deceased as the 54-year-old father Towhidul Islam; 56-year-old mother Irish Islam; 77-year-old grandmother Altafun Nessa; 21-year-old Tanvir Towhid; and 19-year-old twins Farbin Towhid and her brother Farhan Towhid, according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.
Neighbors said the station was surprised by the discovery. “The family is a very pleasant and happy family,” said friend Deelra Hassan.
Police had no substantial contact with the family except for a doorbell in 2018, Felty said. He said evidence indicates the killings took place on Saturday.
Felty said the family hails from Bangladesh, and investigators found relatives in Florida on their way to Texas.
“We’ve never had such an incident in the 21 years I’ve been here,” Felty said. “… It’s just a tragedy. There’s no other way to describe it. It’s a tragedy you just can not imagine.”
The police investigation continues Monday.
In the letter posted to social media, it is said that the brothers plan to shoot their family members and then themselves fatally, and that it is clinically depressed, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported.
Allen is a suburban city of approximately 105,000 north of Dallas.
If you or someone you know is at risk for suicide, call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 800-273-8255, SMS TALK to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
