Honolulu Family - Including 3 Children - Stabbed To Death In Grisly Apparent Murder-Suicide

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

Five members of a Hawaii family are dead after an apparent murder-suicide on Sunday morning in Honolulu.

According to police in the Hawaiian city via a press conference later on Sunday, a family of five — a 46-year-old man, his 48-year-old wife, and their three children, ages 17, 12, and 10 — were found dead inside their home in the Manoa neighborhood on the island of Oahu. Manoa is a nice residential area close to downtown Honolulu and home to the University of Hawaii.

Per police, officers first arrived on scene at about 8:30 a.m. local time on Sunday after receiving a 911 call. However, according to USA Today, cops didn’t find anything amiss outside the home and for some reason had no cause to enter the dwelling at the time. Then, at 9:15 a.m., they received another call from a second anonymous caller who reported hearing an argument taking place at the home in question. Officers returned, and made entry into the house.

Once inside, cops found the aforementioned woman and three children — all later confirmed to be family members of each other — dead from stab wounds. Cops also found the father deceased inside the home, although Honolulu PD Lieutenant Deena Thoemmes did not reveal at the press conference whether he had been stabbed or died in another manner.

Cops believe he was responsible for the deaths of his four family members, and there was never a threat to the public. They also reportedly found the knife used in the killings at the scene. As for the identities of the victims, police did not release them at their Sunday press conference. Lt. Thoemmes indicated the medical examiner’s office would release the names soon; as of Monday afternoon, they have not yet been made available.

For now, police are baffled about the possible motive. Local media reports indicate that neighbors on their Manoa street heard an argument in the home early on Sunday. Beyond that, little else has been disclosed. Thoemmes said there was no history of domestic violence calls or other police interaction at their home.

Per local news outlet KGMB, neighbors reported the family was mostly quiet and lived in a “festive house,” as one witness said, noting they put up Christmas decorations every year. The US Sun reported a neighbor noticed there were no Christmas decorations on the house this past year and thought it was a strange departure from the normal.

The murders have shaken the peaceful and vibrant city of Honolulu. Per HPD Chief Joe Logan, this tragedy is the state’s worst mass killing since November of 1999 when a man fatally shot seven of his co-workers at a Xerox facility in Honolulu. Chief Logan added:

“I’d like to give out heartfelt condolences to the families. It’s unfortunate and very sad.”

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi also released a statement on the tragedy:

“This inexplicable tragedy has deeply shaken our community. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends grappling with this profound loss.”

Here is more on this terrible, terrible crime: