LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. — Authorities in Lakewood Ranch are investigating a tragic triple death after the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Saturday that a 44-year-old mother fatally shot or otherwise killed her two children before taking her own life earlier this week.
The victims have been identified as 14-year-old Josh James and 11-year-old Emma James. Investigators say their mother, Monika Rubacha, was found dead inside the family’s home along with her children.
According to MCSO Public Information Officer Randy Warren, deputies were dispatched to the residence after the children’s 45-year-old father, who was traveling at the time, became alarmed when he was unable to contact his family despite repeated attempts.
“When deputies arrived on scene, it was pretty obvious based on some things on the exterior and being able to look inside that there were deceased individuals inside the home,” Warren said. “I can tell you that this is a violent scene.”
Inside the residence, deputies discovered the bodies of Rubacha and her two children in separate rooms. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the specific manner in which the deaths occurred, but preliminary evidence suggests the teenage boy may have been killed first. Investigators emphasized that the case remains active and that further details will be released as they become available.
Warren noted that there had been no prior calls for service or reported incidents at the home since the family moved to the Lakewood Ranch area approximately three years ago. Authorities also said there is no known history of domestic disturbances associated with the residence.
The investigation is ongoing as detectives work to determine a timeline of events and what may have led to the fatal incident. Officials have not indicated a motive at this time.
Lakewood Ranch, a master-planned community straddling Manatee and Sarasota counties, is widely regarded as one of the region’s fastest-growing residential areas. News of the deaths has left neighbors stunned in a community unaccustomed to such violence.
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