Ex-marine mother kills her 9-year-old daughter and herself

46-year-old Ericka Bellamy Joseph and her 9-year-old daughter, Akili Joseph, were found dead at their home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in what is believed to have been a murder-suicide.

Though no one was there to witness the incident, Ericka Bellamy who used to be in the marine is believed to have killed her daughter before taking her own life.

 A Neighbour reported that her attitude had been a little off of late and another said they saw her closing the hurricane shutter in the middle of the night despite the fact that there was no hurricane warning. Not long after, they claim they heard screams, like someone was in pain, and then a gunshot.

The bodies of Ericka and Akili were discovered by Akili’s father and Ericka’s ex-husband. He has custody of their daughter and was supposed to return with Akili to Bogota, Columbia, after their Florida visit. When he knocked on the door to pick up Akili for their trip on Tuesday, and got no response, he contacted a family member who then discovered mother and daughter dead in their bedroom.

It is believed that Ericka took her daughter’s life because she couldn’t bear to have her leave with her father, while some neighbours have revealed that Ericka was having problems with adjusting to life as an ordinary citizen. Ericka’s brother, Tony Williams, denied this claim and said she seemed to be transitioning from her military life to a civilian one well.

The authorities suspect no foul play and are treating the case as a murder-suicide.