Boy,16, charged with murder after his parents and siblings were found dead

Police in Elkview on Sunday morning, after receiving a 911 call from a relative who had not heard from the family in days, found the bodies of a man, his wife, and their three and 12-year-old sons at their home on Cemetery Hill Drive in Elkview.

The grandfather, who was driving home about 10:40 a.m., noticed that the door was open, so he went in and found three bodies. Police discovered the fourth victim under a bed later.

A fifth occupant of the building, a 16-year-old male family member, was found safely elsewhere the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said. In connection with the shooting, he was arrested on four counts of murder.

Due to its age, the name of the 16-year-old male and other identifying details are withheld.

The victims were identified by the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office as Daniel Dale Long, 37, Risa Mae Saunders, 39, Gage Ripley, and Jameson Long, 3, all of Elkview.

‘We do know that yesterday a family member attempted to get a hold of him, and was unable to do so. That’s when one of the family members came in to check in on them this morning when they couldn’t get a hold of him and that’s when they were found,’ Mike Rutherford, Kanawha County Sheriff, told the teenage girl who was located on Sunday as per WOWKTV.

‘We determined immediately upon the arrival of the deputies that they were all dead,’ added Rutherford.

Deputies state that when the exact shooting took place, they are not aware, but they said that a next of kin was contacted and an investigation is pending.

Samra Mullins, a friend, said she didn’t hear anything coming out of her quiet neighborhood house.

‘This is a little nerve-wracking. You don’t want it to be so close to home,’ said Mullins.

‘There’s just more stress. We’re dealing, you know, with COVID-19. It’s just more bad news,’ said Mullins.