NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WTHR) - Investigators say they may never know what caused a 48-year-old man to snap, killing his elderly parents and then himself.
His sister, saw part of what happened and drove to a Noblesville fire station for help.
The Christmas day tragedy unfolded in a three bedroom ranch on 191st Street, the family homestead where 84-year-old Donald Moon and his 81-year-old wife Joyce lived for more than 40 years.
Investigators say the Moon’s son, Todd, who lived at the house with his parents and his 8-year-old twins called his sister Christmas day and asked her to come get the kids because of some kind of argument.
Just what that argument was over though is still unclear, but investigators say it may have involved allegations that Todd Moon had hit his mother.
Moon’s sister told investigators, when she got to the house, her brother was enraged.
“The sister arrived, found Todd in a fit of rage, very upset, very angry about what she is not quite sure,” said Hamilton County Sheriff Mark Bowen.
“She tried to calm Todd down, obviously and was unsuccessful in doing so. The mother stepped out of a room and Todd in a fit of rage, pulled out a hand gun and began firing at his mother,” Sheriff Bowen explained.
“He then went to a back room and began firing at his father,” said Sheriff Bowen.
According to investigators, Moon’s sister left with his children after he shot his mother.
She told detectives she heard several gun shots after that, which investigators say was Moon killing his father and then finally himself.
According to police, Moon had lived with his parents for at least five years since a divorce.
They’re still trying to understand what sent him into a deadly rage.
“There has been no history of violence or disturbance at the residence. We have no information to indicate that Todd had any criminal history or any history of mental illness, so this really comes as a surprise to many people,” said Sheriff Bowen.
“Obviously his family and for us as well so nothing really to indicate there were any issues going on here. Certainly that’s something we’re really trying to nail down and identify just exactly what sent him over the edge and caused him to do something so horrific on the Christmas holiday,” Sheriff Bowen added.
Investigators say Moon used a 9 millimeter that was registered to him. They say he also had another handgun which was also registered to him, but not used.
Donald and Joyce Moon,according to the coroner, died of multiple gun shots.
Moon shot himself once in the head.
According to investigators, Moon’s children did not see him shoot their grandparents or himself.
The children are staying with their aunt.
Their mother, who investigators say lives in Baltimore, has been contacted by the Department of Child Services.