5 found dead in park; murder-suicide suspected
Pastor Dale Morgan
5 found dead in park; murder-suicide suspected*
* Story Highlights
* NEW: Police say the couple had a history of domestic violence
* NEW: The couple divorced in 2005
* Police find bodies of a woman and three children in two cars
* Man apparently died of self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say
LAYTONSVILLE, Maryland (AP) -- A man shot and killed his ex-wife, their
three children and himself in a small-town park as the woman prepared to
hand over custody, police said Friday.
Five bodies were found at Unity Park, about 25 miles northwest of
Washington, D.C.
Their bodies were found Thursday evening in the tiny community of Unity.
Maryland-National Capital Park Police officers stopped in the deserted
park after noticing two cars with their engines running, said Wayne
Jerman, Montgomery County assistant police chief.
The bodies of Gail Louise Pumphrey, 43, of Woodbine, and the three
children -- ages 6 to 12 -- were found in the cars, Jerman said.
David Peter Brockdorff, 40, of Frederick, was found nearby with what
appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police said they
recovered a rifle near his body.
The children included two boys, ages 6 and 12, and a 10-year-old girl,
police said. Authorities did not release their names, saying they first
wanted to contact the children's schools.
Pumphrey had met with Brockdorff to hand over custody of the children,
according to investigators. It wasn't immediately clear how long the
children were to stay with their father.
Investigators did not know when the shots were fired, and no neighbors
reported hearing gunshots, Jermain said.
The couple had a history of domestic violence, police said. They
divorced in 2005. Video Watch police say the motive appears to be
'domestic-related' »
Authorities blocked off roads Thursday in Unity, near the town of
Laytonsville and about 25 miles northwest of Washington. The 1½-acre
park is in a sparsely populated area of mostly woods and farmland.
Residents gathered Friday at a general store down the road from the park
and talked about the tragedy over pancakes and burgers.
"It's really shocking," said Sunshine Store cashier Christine Flaim, 24,
who heard the sirens and helicopter from her home nearby. "This is a
place where everyone knows everyone."
"I don't recall ever hearing of a murder here," she said. "Everyone is
concerned and worried."
There have been several domestic killings involving children in Maryland
this year.
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In April, a father hanged his two young children before committing
suicide in rural Boyds, in Montgomery County.
In March, the remains of four young children were found in a town house
in neighboring Frederick. The father's body was found hanging from a
banister, and the mother remains missing.