“This is a horrible tragedy, and the police department is keeping the family as well as the community that was so deeply affected by this in our thoughts and prayers.” Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas said in a statement.
A Connecticut mother and her 7-year-old daughter were found dead in their Westport home in what is being ruled a murder-suicide, officials said.
On Thursday around 4 p.m., Westport police had responded to a report of an unresponsive woman at 1 Lyndale Park, police said. Once they arrived, they found Tracy Malon, 46, and her daughter, Layla Malon unresponsive in their home.
An autopsy conducted by the Medical Examiners office in Farmington revealed that the child had been drowned. Her death was ruled a homicide and the mother died by suicide, according to a news release by the Westport Police Department.
Tracy Malon had cuts or stab wounds to her torso and extremities, NBC News reported.
The police, the Detective Bureau and State Police Western District Major Crimes Unit are investigating.
“This is a horrible tragedy, and the police department is keeping the family as well as the community that was so deeply affected by this in our thoughts and prayers.” Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas said in a statement.
Westport’s superintendent sent a letter to the school community on Thursday informing them of the tragedy. He said the elementary and preschools would be closed the following day, but open for both parents and students for counseling, People reported.
“There are no words that could console the sense of sorrow we feel by this unspeakable tragedy," "Superintendent Thomas Scarice said in a statement, NBC reported. "We want to express our deepest condolences to all those impacted by this heartbreaking loss.”
