A man murdered his girlfriend and their 18-month-old daughter, and injured a five-year-old girl, before committing suicide near a local river in New Hampshire.
Police in Franklin responded to reports of gunshots at a residence around noon on Saturday, June 3. Upon arrival, they found Nicole Hughes, 35, and her baby daughter, Ariella Hughes, dead from shotgun wounds.
During a press conference, New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General Adam Woods identified the suspect as 42-year-old Jamie Bell, Hughes’ partner. Investigators suspect that Bell shot and killed Hughes and their daughter and injured Hughes’ five-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
The five-year-old girl sustained a gunshot wound to her right arm and lacerations on her back. She was treated at a Massachusetts hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and is currently in the care of a relative.
After the shooting, Bell was seen fleeing the scene, triggering a wide-scale search in the area. A helicopter was deployed to scan the vicinity for any sign of him.
At approximately 5:30 pm, authorities found Bell’s body on the banks of the nearby Merrimack River. Woods reported that Bell had a self-inflicted cut on his neck, which led to his death.
Hughes had previously stated on her Facebook page that she and Bell were engaged and had posted photos of their family, including joyous times spent sledding with their children in January.
Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Mitchell Weinberg confirmed that Hughes’ death was caused by multiple gunshot wounds and ruled it a homicide. Ariella’s death was also attributed to multiple gunshot wounds. Bell’s cause of death was a single self-inflicted wound to the neck, which was ruled as a suicide.
The investigation into the double homicides is still underway.
