Mom-daughter murder suicide may have been staged by a killer still at large: Police

A mother and daughter who died of an apparent murder-suicide this summer may have both been homicide victims.

According to CBS News, Pamela Hargan, 63, and her 23-year-old daughter 23-year-old Helen Hargan were both found shot do death in their McLean, Virginia, home on July 14. Hargan, a longtime employee of Lockheed Martin, was found dead in the laundry room and Helen was found in an upstairs bedroom. Hargan had two other daughters who were not hurt in the shooting.

Investigators initially believed that the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide, given what was found at the scene and a call made by the boyfriend of one of Pamela Hargan’s other daughters, who said she claimed that Helen had shot her mother. But police records obtained by WUSA-9 suggest that detectives may believe the killings were committed by another person, and staged to look like a murder-suicide.

Police obtained a second warrant to search the home a week after the bodies were found, and it suggest a major shift in the investigation.

“Investigation has revealed that the scene may have been altered and staged by the suspect,” a detective reportedly wrote in the warrant.

Investigators also found evidence of financial fraud, targeting Pamela Hargan’s account.

“…There were attempted fraudulent wire transfers from a financial account belonging to the murder victim Pamela Hargan. The attempted wire transfers were done on the day before the murder and the day of the murder …. The transfers were attempted by Megan Hargan who is another daughter of Pamela Hargan.”

Pamela has two surviving daughters, and it is not yet known if Megan Hargan’s boyfriend was the man who called police to tip them off to a possible murder-suicide.

Police told the news station that the investigation is still “very active.”

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

 

[Feature image: LinkedIn/Pamela Hargan; Facebook/Helen Hargan]