A mother shot her two young children dead before turning the gun on herself while her British husband was away on a business trip.
Monika Rubacha, 44, slaughtered Josh, 14, and 11-year-old Emma in their bedrooms before turning the gun on herself in their home in Florida.
Her concerned husband, 45-year-old Richard James, called the police after he did not hear from his wife for a day and a half.
Officers who arrived at+ the gates community property discovered a ‘violent crime scene.’
All three of them in the £1.4million home in the affluent Lakewood Ranch area of Manatee County had suffered ‘traumatic injuries.’
Police said they believed there had been ‘some planning involved’ in the deaths, adding:'[Rubacha] knew what she was doing.’
Mr. James is reported to have been told of his family’s tragic passing after he landed back in the US following his business trip to South America.
The family moved in from Missouri about three years ago and there was no history of police calls to the house.
The Florida mother (pictured) who killed herself and her two kids in their home was from a ‘picture perfect family,’ as one friend wrote on Facebook
Officers who arrived at the gates community property discovered a ‘violent crime scene’
Prior to their deaths, Rubacha painted a happy, loving picture of her family on social media
Prior to their deaths, Rubacha painted a happy, loving picture of her family on social media, with one of her friends calling them ‘a picture perfect family’ under a portrait of them posted to Facebook in 2018.
Cops said they are still investigating the motive behind the February 26 murder.
Sheriff Rick Wells, who is investigating the deaths, said: ‘We don’t understand what’s going on with people and their mental health and what’s going on behind closed doors.
‘A case so horrific like this is something maybe no one could have ever predicted. I don’t know if there were signs that maybe family members didn’t pick up. We don’t know.’
The Lake Club homeowners’ association at Lakewood Ranch said its ‘hearts are with the family and all those affected’.
The Lake Club community, where the home is located, is filled with multimillion-dollar mansions – one of which singer Mick Jagger bought in 2020 and sold for $3.25 million in 2023.