North Carolina family of 5 killed in murder-suicide

CRAVEN COUNTY, N.C. (WCTI) - A family of five was killed last week in a murder-suicide in Vanceboro, according to the Craven County Sheriff’s Office. Monday morning, Sheriff Chip Hughes offered new details.

Hughes says Michael Jay Ireland, 39, shot and killed his wife, April, their three children and the family's dog at their home on Kinsaw Court before killing himself.

The bodies of April Ireland, 26, and eight-month-old Caroline were found on a living room couch, while three-year-old Bryson and four-year-old Michael Jason were found on another couch in the living room. Michael Ireland and the dog were found in the master bedroom. Sheriff Hughes says all were killed by a single gunshot wound.

Deputies were called for a welfare check of the family on Friday after a family member told officials the family had not been heard from since Wednesday.

"I am at my son's house; I have been trying to reach them," the caller says. "None of them are answering, the car is in the driveway. Something's wrong, and I need somebody out here to do a wellness check."

When deputies arrived, Hughes says they saw a body through the window and kicked the door open to enter the home, where they found the Ireland family's bodies. Hughes says the family died sometime between Wednesday evening and Friday morning.

Officials say there was no indication of a struggle or a suicide note, and they are unsure where Ireland got the gun. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has assisted in the investigation.

Hughes says it was the most horrific crime scene he has ever seen.

"To my knowledge, Craven County... such a senseless loss of innocent lives in modern times," he says. "Officers with over 40 years of experience describe this as one of the most horrific crime scenes in their career."

Counseling has been initiated for deputies and officials who responded to the home, according to officials.

According to incident reports, deputies have been called to the family's home six times, all of which took place between 2015 and 2017.

Reports say Michael Jay Ireland was arrested in January 2015 with assault on a female and willful and wanton injury to personal property. In November of that year, reports show that a 911 caller told officials it looked like Ireland had locked his wife out of the house, and the couple was yelling at each other. Incident reports also say that deputies were called to the home in January 2016 concerning assault on a female, simple assault and communicating a threat.

In August 2019, April Ireland created a GoFundMe for her family, saying her husband was in the hospital "self-inflicted, he is very sick mentally." The fundraiser says she was asking for help paying medical expenses and other bills.

Jackie Tripp, April Ireland's mother, says she knew something was not right when she woke up on Friday, but she was not prepared for tragedy when deputies were at her door that afternoon.

"The deputies said, 'Are you the mother of April Tripp?' and I said 'Yes," she explains. "He said, 'I hate to tell you this... but your daughter is deceased.' I started crying, I said, 'What about the babies?' and he said they were deceased too. I just lost it; I couldn't say anything. All I could do was cry."

According to Tripp, the family often struggled with finances, but her daughter made sure the children were clothed and fed, even if it meant selling the clothes off of her own back.

"She did, she would spend every last dollar on those kids and never spend anything on herself," says Tripp and April's Aunt Kim Edwards. "She loved her kids with everything she had."

As for the children, she says Bryson and Michael were rambunctious toddlers who loved their mother and each other more than anything.

While Tripp says she is left with the comfort of her memories, she is devastated four of the most precious people in her life are gone.

"They were just too young to be killed," she says. They shouldn't be gone - that was my youngest daughter.'

Both Tripp and Edwards say the only time they ever saw April without her children in her lap was when she was driving, so that is how they want to remember her.

My daughter was a brave, intelligent, beautiful person. She loved her kids with everything she had. That's how I want her remembered."

Tripp is raising money to help with funeral costs for April and the three children. Donations can be made online.

Several people who lived near the Ireland family's Kinsaw Court home say everyone in their neighborhood is grieving, unable to believe an incident like this could happen so close to home.

While parents say they are struggling to tell their children the devastating news, Carrie Truex says the neighborhood has felt different since they first learned of the Ireland family's deaths.

"Very eerie, eerie quiet," she explains. "You can’t explain it any other way; it’s just an eerie quiet. You tell everyone that’s in your life that you love them - hold them a little closer."

Community members have visited the home on Kinsaw Court to leave a tribute. People have placed stuffed animals, flowers, cards and books in the front yard as they attempt to understand how something like this could happen.

Sheriff Hughes says the investigation is mostly complete, and investigators are waiting for final autopsy results for what Hughes calls a senseless loss of lives.

"We ask that people keep these families in their prayers," he says. "There’s grieving, as I mentioned, it’s a very sad time, so our thoughts and prayers are with them."