The Granbury Police Department announced four individuals, including two children, were found dead in a Granbury residence last week after an apparent murder-suicide.
According to a Facebook post from the Granbury Police Department, officers responded to 306 Kathy Lane at approximately 2:48 p.m. on February 24 to conduct a welfare check.
After gaining entry and clearing the home, police discovered four individuals within the residence dead from gunshot wounds.
The deceased were 36-year-old Marcus Buchanan, 34-year-old Rita Buchanan, and two female children, ages 3 and 13 years old.
Police said evidence suggests their deaths were the result of a murder-suicide, noting that they did not find signs of an outside intruder.
According to Fox 4 News, neighbors said the police were on the scene for around 12 hours.
Crystal Blanchard, who lives across the street from the Buchanan residence, commented, “None of us heard anything. Nobody in the neighborhood heard any gunfire whatsoever, especially four rounds. Marcus was the happiest guy. He always talked. He always hung out with us.”
Neighbors told WFAA that they often saw the Buchanan couple sitting on their front porch together.
The Buchanan family was apparently a recent addition to the neighborhood, moving there around six months ago from Las Vegas. She said her daughter, Maddison, became quick friends with the 13-year-old girl, who would often come across the street to their home for movie nights and dinners.
Blanchard noted her family never thought anything was off about their newest neighbors.
Maddison shared, “I don’t even know how to deal with it because, like I said, it’s shocking. It’s something that I wouldn’t ever expect.”
A classmate of the 13-year-old, Kayeleagh Goltl, stated that she noticed her peer was absent from school on February 23, the day before the Buchanans were discovered by police. Maddison confirmed she had noticed the girl was not on the bus that day.
“We were really close. She always rode the bus every morning. We would walk together,” Maddison shared.
Neighbor Madison McVay expressed that an eerie feeling surrounds the neighborhood.
“We saw the trampoline in the backyard, and it was triggering just knowing it will never be jumped on again; they won’t be playing in the backyard again,” she explained.
Superintendent of Granbury ISD, Dr. Jeremy Glenn, released a statement after the news.
“The death of a student is one of the hardest things any school district faces. The tragic loss of two of our precious students is heartbreaking for students, teachers and staff, and our community. We appreciate the difficult work of the Granbury Police Department, and we will assist with the investigation as appropriate,” he said.
Fox 4 News stated that Child Protective Services (CPS) has not commented on whether it had a history with the Buchanan family.
