Army soldier, wife murdered their 4 kids by poisoning them with carbon monoxide before killing themselves: Police
Army Staff Sgt. Jared Esquibel Harless and his wife were both responsible for killing their four young children before taking their own life, authorities believe. The entire Harless family was found dead in the back of an SUV last month by police officials, at the time, the authorities had speculated that 38-year-old Harless was the only one responsible for all the deaths.
However, Lt. Jesse Salame recently said that the Army soldier had help from his wife 36-year-old Sheryll Ann, and the duo planned the murder-suicide together. It was also confirmed by a medical examiner that the entire family of five died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Lt. Salame, while talking to San Antonio Express-News, admitted that an official motive in the killings and suicide has not yet been determined. He, however, listed multiple possible catalysts which could have triggered the deaths.
The officer said that "a combination and life stress that was exacerbated by some mental health issues, and the stress that is not uncommon with having children with special needs as well," were some of the important factors which led to the tragedy. The children were identified by authorities as 4-year-old Esteban Lorenzo Harless, 3-year-old Penelope Arcadia Harless, 1-year-old Avielle Magdalena Harless, and 11-month-old Apollo Harless. It is not yet clear whether any of the children had any special needs.
Harless, meanwhile, was identified as a US Army soldier assigned to the 470th Military Intelligence Brigade at Joint Base San Antonio. He had reportedly moved from Washington State to the neighborhood in January.
The family's neighbors told Fox San Antonio that they were new to the region, however, they never saw anything "out of the ordinary." Police officers, on June 4, had responded to a gated subdivision, where the Harless family lived.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, in a recent statement, said that the car had the smell of carbon dioxide, which was so strong when officers arrived that it "kind of blew everybody back out the door." McManus added that police had responded to a welfare check which was requested by Harless' employer, who could not get in touch with him.
McManus said: "They were OK yesterday because he checked in with his work. So it happened sometime overnight." He also noted that a "cryptic note" with military jargon was also left on the front door of the home. A member of the military translated the note to: "Bodies or people inside, do not enter. The animals are in the freezer."
The officer also said that the note hinted at booby traps. "Based on the note that we received, we were very cautious about going in, and we were trying to find out what was in there before we made entry," the chief said. When the authorities finally entered, they were overcome by a noxios odor, which turned out to be carbon monoxide. Authorities also found some explosives inside the house, but they were not rigged. The entire family was found in the backseat of a SUV inside the family's garage, their two pet cats were also found dead in the front seat.
"It's the whole picture. The adults, the children, the pets," McManus said. "Saying it's not pretty - there's no words to describe that." An investigation into the case is still ongoing.