The two young children who were pushed from a Pennsylvania parking garage by their father died from multiple blunt force injuries, officials confirmed Wednesday. Their deaths have been ruled homicides.
First responders pronounced 8-year-old James Lynch dead at 4:35 p.m. Tuesday, approximately 20 minutes after his body was discovered alongside his 6-year-old sister, Caroline Lynch, and their father, Patrick Lynch, at the base of the parking garage in Mt. Lebanon, according to police and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Caroline Lynch was pronounced dead one minute after her brother.
The county police department stated that preliminary information suggests the incident was a murder-suicide. Mt. Lebanon Police Chief Jason Haberman told reporters at the scene that the deaths were being investigated "not as an accident."
It remains unclear what led the 42-year-old father to kill his children and himself.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.