YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Additional information has been released following the investigation into the deaths of Morgan, Deborah and James Daub in West Manchester Township.
Police initially responded to the 2000 block of Loman Avenue around 11:15 a.m. on Jan. 25 to perform a welfare check after a neighbor called 911.
Officers say that when they arrived, they found James A. Daub, 62, Deborah A. Daub, 59, and Morgan E. Daub, 26, outside on the ground in the rear of the house, dead. All three lived at the house on Loman Avenue.
According to the West Manchester Township Police Department, a written note left behind by Deborah Daub spoke on the joint decision by herself and her daughter, Morgan to end their lives.
In the note, she spoke of an evil that had mounted against Morgan, but does not explicitly detail what she was talking about.
The rest of the letter allegedly seems to be directed toward God or her husband, James Daub. According to police, the letter reads as if Deborah expected her husband to survive after their passing.
The letter was dated and signed on Jan. 19, 2023, and references a similar letter written nine months earlier.
Additional written documents from Deborah reportedly state, "Samuel 1:24-28 Morgan chose the date! I believe I have to be with her!"
Written documents left behind by Morgan were also discovered.
According to police, there was an extensive list or checklist that was multiple pages long and appeared to contain preparatory steps before ending her life.
The list allegedly included speaking to her dad, clipping the dog's nails, writing letters to family, etc.
There were also recovered written documents from James, which were not dated. In one letter, he allegedly indicated that he was crushed when Morgan told "us" that she must end her life.
Police said the letter also indicated that he was aware that both Morgan and Deborah wished to end their lives. In earlier parts of the note, James allegedly implied that he wasn't ready to end his life, but by the end, it was evident that he had decided to do so.
Authorities said letters explaining their plans for death were also found.
Two letters, one signed by James and one by Deborah, detailed the killings before they had happened.
In James's note, he wrote that he took his life on his own free will. According to police, it stated that "with only two guns and me being shaky, my wife Debbie pulled the trigger for me."
Authorities said the note from Deborah says that she took her life of her own free will as well. The letter states, "I was too shaky, so my daughter pulled the trigger for me."
Each note was dated on Jan. 24.
Other written documents found at the scene consisted of multiple copies of a Living Will, a Last Will, detailed instructions for the disposition of assets, the location of documents and keys and instructions for the disposition of the family dog.
Police say that the county forensic unit processed the scene in the backyard and the following things were noted.
Officials said the bodies were arranged in a straight line, starting just a few feet from the porch and extending out.
The body of Morgan Daub was reportedly closest to the porch, and authorities said she was found lying on her back with her head closest to the porch.
She had a black pistol holster on her right hip and was found to be wearing ear protection on her head and over her ears. The gun holster was empty. Two shell casings were found near Morgan's body to the left, and one of the handguns was found to the right.
The body of Deborah Daub was found, laying next to her, and she, too, was found to have a brown leather pistol holster on her right hip. A shell casing was found to the left of her body. The other pistol was also recovered on her left side.
Police said the final victim, James Daub, was laying on his stomach with his legs closest to the porch and his head pointed to the south. Two pairs of earmuff-style hearing protection were found lying on the ground between the final two bodies.
The coroner examined the bodies and determined that each had suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
The county forensic unit also processed the interior of the home. It was noted that no signs of forced entry were found.
There also were also no signs of a struggle or indications of anyone other than the victims being present during their deaths.
According to officials, the positioning of the bodies, pistols, and shell casings, as well as the presence of the hearing protection, supported the written notes left behind by the family, collaborating that the three family members decided to end their lives on Jan. 24.
According to police, James was shot in the head and killed by Deborah. Deborah was shot in the head and killed by Morgan. Morgan then ended her own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The West Manchester Township Police Department received a call from a nearby home of the crime scene on Jan. 25.
The caller reported that he heard three gunshots during the late evening hours on Jan. 24. He believed that it occurred just before midnight.
The caller said that the first two gunshots were muffled, and the last gunshot could be heard much more clearly. He also stated that there was only a short amount of time between each shot.
Authorities say the investigation has now been closed.