A Pennsylvania family found shot to death in their backyard last week in what police say appears to be a suicide pact, included a mother and daughter who loved bowling and were devout Christian conservatives, people who knew them said. .
Morgan Daub, 26, and his parents, James Daub, 62, and Deborah Daub, 59, were found dead on the ground in the backyard of their York County, Pennsylvania home on the morning of the 25th. January, after police responded to a request for a welfare check from a neighbor.
The West Manchester Township Police Department has since said notes left inside the home indicate the family recently made a «joint decision» to end their lives. Police believe Deborah Daub shot and killed her husband and was later shot and killed by Morgan, who killed himself. Police said there were no signs of forced entry or a struggle and no evidence that anyone else was present.
An investigation into the deaths has been closed.
People who knew the family expressed shock and anguish over the deaths. Members of the local bowling community described Morgan as a shy and quiet young woman who was close to her mother and also a talented and avid bowler until she and her mother suddenly stopped visiting the bowling shops and alleys in the area a few years ago. around the start of the pandemic.
“Morgan didn’t have a lot of words to say,” said Bret Stabley, who operates the pro shop at Bowlers Supply in York, Pa., where the mother and daughter were longtime customers. Stabley said he believed Morgan, whom he described as «very meek and quiet» but also «very bright,» was homeschooled and her mother often spoke on her behalf.
Stabley said that he gave Morgan many bowling lessons over the years and that he became more social as he grew older. She was also «a good bowler,» she said.
Stabley said the church-going Christian family «was never shy about letting anyone know what their beliefs were» when it came to religion and politics. Morgan and Deborah are «very, very big» supporters of former President Donald Trump, Stabley said.
“They were so hell-bent on Trump winning, like this could be the end if he didn’t,” Stabley said, referring to an instance where he saw them just before the 2020 election. He said he stopped seeing the two after that.
A neighbor who asked to remain anonymous for fear of personal or professional reprisals in his town said the family had a «concern about religion, especially on the part of the father.» The family’s front yard was also «filled» with pro-Trump political signs during the election and anti-abortion signs when Roe v. Wade, the neighbor said.
Terry Miller, the owner of Suburban Bowlerama, said that Morgan and Deborah went to his bowling alley a couple of times a week. “She grew up here,” he said of Morgan.
«To me, just watching their interactions, they just enjoyed it, they seemed to spend a lot of time together,» he said.
But Morgan and Deborah suddenly stopped coming around 2019, Miller said.
Looking back, he said, it was «definitely, definitely weird» that the two stopped going in.
Stabley said she was upset to see recent videos featuring Morgan on YouTube. In the videos, which the West Manchester Township Police Department has also said appear to show Morgan, the young woman self-consciously talks about God, the Antichrist and conspiracies around Trump and the 2020 election. Stabley said he is obsessed for Morgan’s laugh in the videos.
«I never, ever, ever saw Morgan in that state,» he said.
Detective Timothy Fink said in a statement to NBC News on Friday that Deborah Daub left a written document, signed on January 19, in which she «discusses a joint decision» by her and Morgan to end their lives. He refers to the «evil that has been mounted against Morgan» but does not elaborate, Fink said.
Morgan and her father also left notes indicating that the family had planned how to carry out the shootings and made other preparations, including what to do with the dog and family assets.
Those notes were dated January 24, the day before the family’s bodies were found.
Police said the position of the bodies, the two weapons found at the scene, the bullet casings and other evidence «support the account presented by the written documents left behind by the family,» that «the three family members decided to terminate with their lives.» on 01/24/2023.”
Meanwhile, the neighbor said they are «in shock and disbelief» that something like this could happen «so close to home.»
«When I did interact with them in person, they kept it under wraps,» the neighbor said. «I didn’t see that break on the surface at all.»
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255text HOME to 741741 or visit TalkingSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.