Residents of quiet Medina community shaken by suspected murder-suicide

By Evan MacDonald,

MEDINA, Ohio -- Several residents of the small, quiet Medina community where three people were found dead in a suspected murder-suicide said they were stunned when investigators removed their bodies from the condo late Friday.

Detectives believe the three people found dead Friday evening in the Pinewood Estates condominium complex on Pinewood Drive are a husband, a wife and their adopted child, who was developmentally disabled. Their names have not been released.

The neighborhood was quiet Saturday afternoon. The lock was removed from the condo where officers found the three bodies, and a missed delivery notice was hanging on the condo's door.

Neighbors said the man and woman who lived in the condo were quiet, but could regularly be seen walking hand-in-hand through the complex, often with their two Jack Russell Terriers.

"They always walked hand-in-hand," neighbor Sandra Miller said. "They seemed very happy, but you never know what goes on inside someone's house."

Autumn Dawes said she barely knew the man and the woman, but that they were friendly to neighbors.

"This kind of thing is shocking," Dawes said. "They seemed very happy, but I guess you just never know."

The police activity led to a group of neighbors gathering outside the condo late Friday. Ricardo Rodriguez, who moved into the condo next door just weeks ago, said he was stunned when he realized what had happened.

"Everybody was out here, and we were all puzzled about what happened," Rodriguez said. "Eventually [officers] told us to go inside while they carried out the bodies."

Neighbors also said they saw officers removing the two Jack Russell Terriers and a cat, which were alive, from the home.

Officers found the three bodies while performing a welfare check. Investigators have not yet determined the date or cause of death. Autopsies will be performed at the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office, police said.

Medina Police Chief Patrick Berarducci declined to say whether investigators found a weapon inside the condo.

"We'll let the coroner release the names and determine the cause of death, and we'll go from there," Berarducci said.