The Maricopa County Sheriff’s office is investigating what Sheriff Joe Arpaio says is a likely murder-suicide at a home south of Gilbert.
Arpaio said in a press conference Tuesday, the bodies found in the home Monday night were a mother, her 17-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter. Arpaio said he’s seen many high-profile cases over the years of parents murdering their children.
"That’s probably what happened here, is the mother killing the two children, maybe over some time of problems internally with the family, and that’s sad," Arpaio said. "The kids are suffering."
The sheriff’s office has identified the woman as Lisa Gerhart. Sheriff’s deputies responded to the home about 9 p.m. Monday night. Investigators said the victims all appeared to have been shot. In addition, deputies said they also found a car with a hose running from the exhaust pipe into the house.
The home is in unincorporated Gilbert near Power and Chandler Heights roads.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
