Three missing children are safe and a person of interest in a Philadelphia homicide is dead following an incident in Lansdale late Sunday night.
According to reports by 6ABC and CBS3, police were dispatched to the 1900 block Haines Street in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 18 for a report of a shooting. Arriving police found a 39-year-old woman who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, and she was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.
A short time later, police said three 2-year-old children — two boys and a girl — had gone missing from the same address, and they were believed to be with their father, identified as 37-year-old Stanley Baptiste.
Around 9:30 p.m., residents in the area of Valley Forge Road and West Main Street in Lansdale began to report a heavy police presence in the area, complete with a low-flying Philadelphia Police helicopter that had its search light activated. It was quickly learned that a vehicle occupied by a person of interest in the homicide had been followed to Lansdale, and Lansdale Borough Police had been contacted by Philadelphia to assist with incident.
According to Lansdale Borough Police Chief Michael Trail, police utilized the borough’s citywide surveillance system to track the vehicle to a home on Derstine Avenue, where they setup in-person surveillance in anticipation of making an arrest. Once the person of interest exited the home and entered the vehicle, police followed the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop, leading to the heavy police presence a few blocks away.
Trail said after the vehicle was surrounded, the person of interest was found dead inside of the vehicle a short time later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The person of interest is believed to be Baptiste, however Trail declined to confirm pending notification of next-of-kin and official confirmation from the Philadelphia Police Department.
The three missing children were later located at the home on Derstine Avenue and are currently safe.
Trail — who described the incident as tragic and expressed concern for the three children — said he hopes to release additional information about the investigation later on Monday.
See also:
Heavy Police Activity Observed on Valley Forge Road in Lansdale Sunday Evening
Police Identify Victim of Fatal Crash in Lansdale, Renew Calls for Assistance with Investigation
WATCH: Thief Steals Christmas Decorations from Home in Sellersville Sunday Night
Driver Killed in Single-Vehicle Crash Early Tuesday Morning in Lansdale
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