A thrash metal band member has been shot dead alongside his son and father-in-law in a mass murder-suicide by his wife, according to police.
Steven Cain, 50, was killed by Theresa Cain, 46, who also murdered her father, William Felton, 74, and their son Ethan Cain, 13. She also seriously wounded their daughter Samantha Cain, 20, before dying by suicide, according to Clermont County Sheriff Steve Leahy in Ohio, WXIX reported.
Mr Cain’s sister, Wanda Garrison, told WXIX on Wednesday that “I loved them very much”.
“My heart is in a million pieces,” she added.
The alleged murder-suicide took place on Monday near New Richmond in Clermont County in Ohio. The case remains under investigation.
The only survivor of the ordeal, Samantha Cain, was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in critical condition.
In a press release, investigators from the sheriff’s office said that they’re hoping that her state reaches a point where she “could provide vital information into this horrific incident which could assist detectives with answers as to motive”.
Deputies discovered the remains when they visited the family home at about 9.30am on Monday to serve civil papers, the sheriff’s office said.
As they neared the home, they heard several gunshots from inside the residence. They attempted to contact people inside but were unable to, leading to the sheriff’s special response team being called to the scene.
Inside they found four of the five people already dead. There were no signs of forced entry before police entered the home and police aren’t expecting to make any arrests or to be looking for further suspects, Sheriff Leahy told Fox 19 Now.
Ms Garrison told the local Fox outlet about the moment a sheriff’s deputy came to her door to inform her of what had happened.
“The only thing I was first told was that my brother was found deceased in his home... and that’s all that she said,” she told Fox 19 Now.
“And then I kinda got panicked, and I asked about the kids... and that’s when we learned Ethan had passed away too, and that Samantha was in critical condition at the hospital,” the sister added.
“Both my parents are deceased... And then, you know, it was me and him and my sister... So basically, I don’t have any other family,” she said.
Critical Khaos band member Glen Roiesmith told WLWT5 that Mr Cain had “a ton of energy. He wanted to reach out and show you what he had, and he did that”.
“That was one of the best decisions we made as a band, bringing Steve in,” he added.
Fellow band member Paul Huseman spoke of “his personality, his energy, his dedication. The love in his eyes of what he was doing and how happy he was doing that”.
Mr Cain joined the band six months ago, and he told the group that his family would always come first.
“He was a very Christian man. He made sure we watched the words that we put into our lyrics,” band member Chris Marlow told WLWT5.
Another member of the band, Brent Leonard, said Mr Cain “put everybody in front of himself”.
Friends told the local TV station that Mr Cain earned multiple degrees, had worked for Proctor & Gamble, and wrote more than a dozen books.
On Thursday, the band added: “We are so blown away by all the love. Our family is strong. We always welcome everyone and we will continue to welcome everyone into our Chaotic Family. One thing we really need to tell you though. We will soon have good news to share. While we will always miss our brother in Khaos. We know for a fact he would be pissed if we just sat around sobbing over our loss of Steve. He would headbutt all of us... Lol.. (inside joke). So yeah. We have some great news headed your way.”
Earlier on Thursday, the band said they would go on a “road trip” to take part in the funeral set to take place in Georgia.
