The parents of one of the teenagers accused of murdering a Florida police officer and then committing suicide released a statement on Wednesday, the New York Daily News reported.
"Words do not exist to express the measure of our sorrow and sadness," Ricke and Connie Goode said. "Our deepest sympathy and our heartfelt prayers go out to the friends and family of Officer German. We are so, so sorry to them for what happened and they will be forever in our prayers."
"We have no answers, only questions. Whether mental illness, substance abuse or something else, we are a family searching," the statement said. "The pain we are each experiencing is unimaginable."
On Saturday, 18-year-old Brandon Goode and his girlfriend, 17-year-old Alexandria Hollinghurst, were found dead near the area where Winderemere Police Officer Robert German, 31, was killed.
Though both teens are thought to have committed suicide, an official ruling will be made by a medical examiner. Based on notes they left behind, mental health counselor Janie Lacy told WESH-TV she believes the couple was living in a "fantasy world."
You can read the full statement, provided to the Orlando Sentinel, below:
"We are heartbroken and overwhelmed with grief. We cannot comprehend the senseless loss of Officer German's life, the death of Alexandria Hollinghurst and for our family, the loss of our 18 year old son, Brandon. Words do not exist to express the measure of our sorrow and sadness. Our deepest sympathy and our heartfelt prayers go out to the friends and family of Officer German. We are so, so sorry to them for what happened and they will be forever in our prayers. We know a community grieves and like everyone else in our community, we ourselves are struggling to understand this most horrific tragedy. We have no answers, only questions. Whether mental illness, substance abuse or something else, we are a family searching. We choose and wish to cooperate openly and fully with law enforcement as they mourn the loss of their fallen brother and search for answers that we don't have. We must now ask for privacy. The pain we are each experiencing is unimaginable. There is a young step brother and step sister that desperately need solitude and love. We ask that you respect this situation and understand that they are innocent and too many have been hurt already. We humbly and prayerfully ask that we be allowed to grieve privately as we continue our own very painful journey towards understanding. As such there will be no more public statements."
