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3 found dead during wellness check at Bucks County home, suspect in custody
Investigators say three people were found dead inside a Bucks County home after an hours-long standoff with a knife-wielding man on Monday.
NORTHAMPTON, Pa. - Investigators say three people were found dead inside a Bucks County home after an hours-long standoff with a knife-wielding man on Monday.
Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan told reporters they believe the incident was isolated and there is no ongoing threat to the public.
What we know:
Officers from were sent to Heather Road around 2 p.m. to perform a wellness check after family members said they hadn't heard from a resident since Saturday.
Investigators say responding officers were confronted by a man armed with a knife, which began an hours-long stand-off that eventually ended peacefully.
"Despite being confronted by an armed individual under excruciatingly difficult circumstances for roughly five hours in the bitter cold, officers utilized every tactical resource available to take the suspect into custody alive, preventing further tragedy," District Attorney Joe Khan said.
Investigators say one person was found dead in the kitchen of the home, and the bodies of two others were found in a nearby room.
The Bucks County Coroner's Office will perform autopsies on Tuesday to determine a cause of death.
Dig deeper:
The armed suspect taken into custody was identified as Kevin Castiglia, 55, according to Northampton Township Police. Court documents show he was arrested on charges that include terroristic threats and simple assault, among other charges, but is expected to be arraigned on homicide charges later Tuesday, police say.
Documents identified the three people found in the home as Deborah Castiglia, Kevin’s sister, and Deborah’s parents and owners of the home, Frederick and Judith Castiglia.
Documents say a boyfriend of Deborah’s was unable to reach her since Saturday. For the second day in a row, he showed up to her parents’ home on Heather Road around 2:15 p.m. on Monday and knocked on the door numerous times. Documents say Kevin answered in a robe and said Deborah was not there and probably on vacation, then said, "Don’t ever come here again, or I will kill you," and pointed a large knife at him.
Documents say responding officers also made contact with Kevin, armed with two knives, one appearing to be bloody.
When he allegedly pointed knives at officers, documents say they deployed their tasers, but Kevin started pulling the probes out of his body, then slammed the door and locked it.
"We didn’t know what was really going on and then next thing we heard we had to stay kind of sheltered in place," said Rose Culliney, a neighbor. "It’s sad, it’s really sad."
Neighbors on the quiet block say after a scary several hours of seeing officers armed and in tactical gear, they were devastated to find out that three people lost their lives, including a kind couple that lived there for decades.
"I seen the dad actually walking down the steps to get into his car I believe it was Friday morning," says Culliney. "It’s just sad to say that was probably his last time he walked out of the house."
What's next:
DA Khan said the 55-year-old remains in custody on assault charges stemming from another investigation.
The suspect will remain in custody during the investigation.
Authorities promised more information on the incident in the near future.