A Vermont city official, his wife and son were found shot to death in their home over the weekend, state police said.
Police identified them Tuesday as Brian Crossman, 46, a selectman in Pawlet; Erica Crossman, 41; and Colin Taft, 13. The town of about 1,400 people is near the New York state line.
They were found dead Sunday, Vermont State Police said in a news release Tuesday night. All three deaths were regulated murders.
Police said their investigation was active and no one was in custody. However, CBS affiliate WCAX reports sources say the police have identified a person of interest who is a relative of the victims.
State police said Autopsies determined that Brian Crossman’s cause of death was gunshot wounds to the head and torso, Erica Crossman died of a gunshot wound to the head, and Colin Taft’s cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.
Members of the Pawlet Selectboard, which are elected by residents to oversee town spending and enact ordinances, held their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night. Crossman’s seat was vacant and there were flowers at his place at the table.
Mike Beecher, chairman of the five-member board, read a statement: “Brian Crossman was a friend and neighbor, a hard-working community member who just this year stepped up to join the Pawlet Selectboard.
“This tragedy that struck him and his family has also hit our community hard, and we are shocked and saddened. Our hearts go out to all those affected by this devastating loss.”
Neighbors told WCAX that the shooting left them shaken.
“It is very difficult to understand. It is not faced alone. We visited the family three nights before the deaths,” the neighbor Oliver Ihasz told the station.
Brian and Erica Crossman were married in June of this year, the Bennington Banner reported.