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Estranged husband holds mom, 2 kids hostage for hours before fatally shooting them and fleeing with 1-year-old baby: Police

Officers had been called to the area for a report of a suspicious person hours before, but didn’t find anything

Authorities are investigating an apparent triple murder-suicide in St. Louis County, Missouri, that led to an AMBER Alert after the suspect fled the violent scene with his 1-year-old daughter.

According to KDSK, Roseann McCulley and two of her children, 13-year-old Kayden Johnson and 6-year-old Kaylee Brooks, were found shot to death in a home early Friday morning. A subsequent investigation determined that Roseann’s estranged husband Bobby McCulley III was the suspect in the triple-murder, and he is also suspected of having kidnapped his 1-year-old daughter from the home.

After police discovered the murder victims and determined that a child was missing, Missouri State Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert issued an AMBER Alert. The child was found safe at about 5 a.m., having been dropped off earlier that morning at the home of a family member, presumably by McCulley.

According to the report, police spotted the suspect’s vehicle on surveillance camera traveling near Goodfellow Boulevard and Natural Bridge Avenue at some point Friday–it is not clear what time–and followed the car to the Old North St. Louis neighborhood.

But before officers could arrest him, McCulley shot himself in his vehicle, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to a probable cause statement obtained by the news station, police had been called to the area of the triple homicide at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday in response to a report of a suspicious person, but did not find anything to substantiate the report. It is unclear exactly where police searched or of they attempted to contact the victims. The report indicates that McCullley was already in the home where he later shot the victims when police arrived earlier Thursday night.
McCully has a history of domestic violence incidents and an assault arrest, as well as multiple child support disputes. Police told KDSK that the suspect is not the father of the children he killed. He had reportedly filed for divorce from Roseann McCully in February. The report also states that police had been seeking the suspect in response to domestic violence allegations brought by Roseann about a month before her murder, but investigators had been unable to locate him.
This is a developing story. CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.