A family of five is dead after Tempe Police say a father deliberately drove his vehicle into Tempe Town Lake early Sunday morning. The father as well as his wife and three children were in the car and drowned in the accident.
Police are treating the incident as a murder-suicide.
Investigators said that surveillance video captured the car as it was being driven into Tempe Town Lake.
Emergency crews and first responders were called to the lake at approximately 12:15 a.m. Sunday. There were several eyewitnesses that saw the car enter the lake under the Scottsdale Road Bridge.
Authorities have identified the victims as Glenn Edward Baxter, 27, Danica Baxter, 25, Reighn Baxter, 3, Nazyiah Baxter, 2, and Zariyah Baxter, 1.
Police indicated that officers had responded to three calls at the family’s home located in Glendale over the past year. Authorities indicate that Glenn Edward Baxter was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder
First responders discovered the bodies of the adults and two of the children. They were transported to an area hospital where they were pronounced dead. Divers were later able to recover Reighn Baxter’s body that was inside the submerged vehicle.
Tempe Police Department Chief Tom Ryff is now concerned that because this accident is so unlike any that emergency crewmembers, first responders and members of the community have ever seen before, they may develop post-traumatic stress.
“Touching the victims, holding the victims, trying to revive the lifeless bodies, those are experiences that will never be erased from their thoughts or their minds,” Ryff said.
This incident cannot be described as anything other than incredibly tragic. Having to cope with the aftermath is something that no one should ever have to go through.
If you or someone you love has been involved in, injured or tragically killed in any type of accident, give the legal offices of Warnock MacKinlay Law a call.
At the Law Offices of Warnock MacKinlay Law, we can be there to help you after the accident. Call us today for a free consultation and find out what your options are. Contact us at the number on your screen or by using our web form.
