Richard James, the brother of Sky Sports presenter Polly James, was set to come home to return to his family at their Florida home but felt that something was off. Coming from a business trip in South America, he got concerned after not hearing from his wife for over a day.
To be sure, James contacted authorities to carry out a welfare check on his family at their home in Lakewood Ranch on 26 February. When officers from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office arrived, they discovered the lifeless bodies of James' wife Monika Rubacha and two teenage children Josh James, 14, and Emma James, 11, BBC reported.
According to the investigation carried out by police, it was determined that Josh and Emma were gunned down first by Monika. Not long after, the 44-year-old used the gun on herself and took her own life.
With the evidence collected by investigators, police are treating it as a murder-suicide case. The fact that it could not be established whether there were other people in the mansion practically whittles down the potential scenarios surrounding the horrific discovery.
However, authorities admitted that there was some planning involved in the deaths. They insinuated that Rubacha knew what she was doing. Hence, the even bigger question is why.
'At this time, there is no evidence to indicate that any other individuals were involved,' a police spokesperson stated.
A Tragedy No One Saw Coming
It was tragic, especially for Richard James, who was coming home from a business trip. Randy Warren of the sheriff's office admitted the discovery was unfortunate, especially for Richard James, who had no idea he would come home to such a horrible tragedy.
'This is a horrible, horrible thing for the deputy staff to witness and even worse for this father and husband, who was on his way back from South America,' Warren said.
Warren added that there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent the incident. It was not mentioned whether Monika was dealing with any mental health issues at the time.
If there was a person who would have been aware of it, it would have been Richard James. While not hearing from his wife for over a day was strange, it remains unclear whether the 44-year-old had a history of mental health problems or even conflicts within the family.
'We don't understand what's going on with people and their mental health and what's going on behind closed doors,' Sheriff Rick Wells stated.
After many learned that Richard was the brother of Polly James, it was hardly surprising that some sought out the Sky Sports presenter for a statement. The Mirror was able to touch base with Polly, but the 38-year-old politely gave a short statement.
'We are really going through it. We have nothing more to say,' James said.
Given that the James family is grieving at this stage, that short statement was understandable. In fact, the outlet was lucky that Polly James spoke to them at all.
As police continue to piece together the James family tragedy, the motive or reason behind the deaths of Josh, Emma and Monika remains a mystery. It has left Richard James grieving deeply, coming home from a business trip, only to find out that he had lost something far greater in life.
Originally published on IBTimes UK
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