SPOKANE, Wash. — Investigators with Spokane Police are now in a lengthy, painstaking investigation into the deaths of a woman and two children Thursday night.
Cpl. Nick Briggs said a 911 call came in around midnight after a man returned to his home on West Woodside Avenue to find his wife and two children dead.
"At this point, this is very preliminary early stages of investigation, it does appear this is potentially a murder-suicide," Cpl. Briggs said Friday morning.
At this time, there's little information available from SPD and no victims' identities have been released.
Spokane Public Schools (SPS) confirmed the two children, both under the age of 12, were former students at Balboa Elementary, though they were currently being homeschooled. The district could not say how long the kids had been out of the school.
SPS now has a crisis response team at Balboa to support students and staff.
"We are always immediately at the school," said Chris Moore, coordinator of student services.
Moore said the team, trained in crisis intervention and response, will first access the needs in the building. That may mean offering private counseling for educators or speaking to impacted students.
"They'll go to the students' classes, talk to the kids," she said. "We'll have a separate room set up where kids who are struggling with the loss or crisis can go and we'll have music or coloring or mindfulness activities."
The response and communication used is geared toward the age groups of impacted students as well as the specific needs.
The district has also provided resources to Balboa families to help them begin to discuss this difficult tragedy at home.
"Please, please do," Moore urged of caregivers. "I give grace and benefit of the doubt that it's out of their comfort level. They feel like they don't have the skills to talk about a death or a crisis. This is the time when the kids need you most."
Moore said children need a sense of normalcy and routine following a crisis or tragedy. She says it's important for caregivers to speak openly and age appropriately with their students and encourage them to express any feelings, whether sadness, anger or crying.
"Just encourage them they are safe, they are loved, encourage them to talk about their feelings," she said.
Moore says with younger students, it's best to gauge whether they know about the incident before starting the discussion.
That can be as simple as asking questions.
"'Tell me about your day today,'" she offered. "'What was the best part of your day? What was the hardest part of your day?' If they speak to it, you can engage in the conversation."
Moore said if a young child doesn't bring it up, it's best not to initiate conversation about a tragedy they may not have been touched by. Instead, keep lines of conversation open with empathy and reassurance.
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