Air Force servicewoman found dead along with 2 toddler sons just hours after cops stop husband from jumping off bridge in New York
An Air Force servicewoman was found dead along with her two toddler sons inside their New York home on Saturday, June 22, morning, just hours after police saved her husband from taking his life by jumping off a bridge.
Authorities were called to a home alongside Palisade Street, near Lily Pond Avenue in Arrochar, Staten Island, just before 10.30 am on Saturday, June 21, on reports of an assault in progress, according to Pix11.
A passerby had noticed a small fire on the second floor of the brick house. They also saw that the door was wide open and noticed smoke swirling around inside the residence.
On arrival, responders found the residence filled with smoke and had to extinguish a small fire. A search then uncovered the bodies of two young children, aged two and three, and 36-year-old Alla Ausheva, their mother. All three were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Daily Mail reported that Ausheva, who is believed to be a member of the US Air Force based in Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, had sustained severe injuries to her head and face and that the two toddlers were drowned.
Just three hours prior to the gruesome discovery, her husband, 36-year-old Shane Walker, who is also an active member of the US Air Force, was found on the Brooklyn side of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
An onlooker had called emergency services when they spotted the man, who is believed to be the father of the two toddlers, aimlessly wandering on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. He was transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
Ausheva is believed to be Russian-born and underwent a Military Naturalization Ceremony where she was sworn in as US Citizen in the White House by none other than Barack Obama in 2012, according to the New York Post.
She had moved to US shores the previous year after her husband won the so-called Green Card lottery and expressed how coming to the country had always been a dream of hers. "I always wanted to live here," she was quoted saying at the time. "This is really a country where you can pursue your dream and do what you want to do."
Just three months after the naturalization ceremony, she had signed up for the New York Army National Guard, where she worked as a maintenance technician. "I really wanted to wear the uniform," she had said. "I wanted to be a part of what they do."
The circumstances surrounding the triple homicide still remain unclear, though police did say they had responded to the residence for a "domestic incident" on one previous occasion as well. A medical examiner is working to determine the cause of death for Ausheva and her two children.
While no arrests have made, the husband is currently in police custody and law enforcement has announced that they are not looking for any suspects. The US military has also joined the investigation.