Man Suspecting Wife Having Affair Kills Her, 2 Children In Apparent Murder-Suicide

A Florida man shot his wife, their kids, before turning the gun to himself in an apparent case of murder-suicide. According to Haines City police, the father of two called 911 early Sunday morning admitting to the killings and saying that he intended to shoot himself.

Officers arrived at the family's home in the Southern Dunes subdivision after the dispatcher said that 43-year-old Mark Joseph claimed the door would be unlocked. Police found all four people dead with what appeared to be gunshot wounds to the head.

Police said that two children -- 18-year-old Darren and 14-year-old Markus -- were found in their beds. The wife, 43-year-old Marie Joseph, was lying on a couch; Mark Joseph was sitting in a chair. Police said there were no signs of struggle.

"The investigation, which is ongoing, has revealed a possible motive; Mark suspected Marie was having an affair," Haines City Police Department said in a news release.

Haines City Police Chief Jim Elensky said: "We cannot understand the unwarranted and senseless nature of this tragedy and the poignant reminder of the suffering that family and friends will now endure."

Authorities said that Mark Joseph, who worked at a warehouse in Davenport and was also part of Allied Universal Security Service, used his own personal gun for the killings.

"We are extremely disheartened about this tragic incident and offer our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased. Allied Universal is fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities in the investigation," Allied Universal Security Service said in a statement.

In another recent murder-suicide case, a man killed his wife, 12-year-old daughter and himself at their home in Mount Vermont, New York, on Sunday. Mount Vermont Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard took to Twitter to share the news.

“Mount Vernon has experienced a heartbreaking tragedy this morning. We are investigating a probable murder-suicide in which a man killed his wife and daughter and took his own life. This investigation is still in the early stages. Our prayers are with the family during this time,” she wrote.

It is believed that the man was “under major duress" over personal issues and that there were no reports of domestic violence.