Police say mother killed three children before shooting herself in North Carolina

A mother and her three children died Tuesday after a suspected murder-suicide shooting in North Carolina.

The shooting took place sometime before noon at the family’s quiet suburban home in Winston-Salem, and saw police flock to the horrific scene and remain there all day.

Inside, officers found the body of 40-year-old Ethal Syretha Steele, as well as those of Sakenlo Shawn Steele Jr., 14, and sisters Sakenya Syretha Steele, 12, and Sakendra Syann Steele, 9.

Police said the elder Steele died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and her children were also shot.

It is believed she shot and killed the children before turning the gun on herself. Around 11:54 am, the police were called to the scene, by whom is not clear. An unidentified man was seen sobbing outside the house later in the afternoon.

Police flocked to the horrific scene around 11:54 a.m. and remained there all day

“It’s a sad situation,” Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough told bystanders who arrived at the scene Tuesday at the 3100 block of Brookhill Drive. “That’s all I can tell you.”

Other members of Kimbrough’s force also kept quiet about the details of the suspected killings, though some neighbors offered some insight into past behavior by the Steeles while speaking to local reporters.

An unnamed resident, in conversation with the The Winston-Salem Journaldescribed the family as “very withdrawn” – with the three school-aged children only occasionally coming out to play with her children.

Others were shocked by the sudden deaths in a normally quiet community, with residents describing the cul-de-sac where the family lived as safe and even sleepy.

“This is a quiet neighborhood, very quiet,” another neighbor, who also asked not to be identified, told the newspaper.

Angela Terrill, speaking to the local Fox affiliate Fox 8expressed the same surprise.

“This happened in my neighborhood. You don’t want to see this. You see this on the news, and it’s a different neighborhood.

“The fact that this is happening here in our neighborhood is very worrying. It’s close to home.’

None of the neighbors named the children’s father, whom police declined to confirm Thursday as the one called the police late in the morning.

Inside, officers found the body of 40-year-old Steele, as well as those of her children, Sakenlo Shawn Steele Jr., 14, and sisters Sakenya Syretha Steele, 12, and Sakendra Syann Steele, 9.

Police said the elder Steele died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and her children were also shot. The Winston-Salem Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division is handling the case

Other members of Kimbrough’s force also remained silent on the details of the suspected killings, though some neighbors offered some insight into past behavior by the Steeles while speaking to local reporters.

The murders have rocked the normally quiet North Carolina community, with residents describing the cul-de-sac where the family lived as safe

Other members of Kimbrough’s force also remained silent on the details of the suspected killings, though some neighbors offered some insight into past behavior by the Steeles while speaking to local reporters.

While he was not explicitly seen Tuesday afternoon among the crowd of pedestrians, officers and press outside the home, deputies at the scene were seen comforting an unidentified, crying man.

As of 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening, it is still unclear how the man is related to the incident.

Likewise, it is not known if Ethal Steele was living with a husband, or if she still had a romantic relationship with the children’s father.

Police on Tuesday would not confirm that the siblings shared the same father.

They are still investigating what led to the apparent murders, which likely happened sometime in the morning but may have happened earlier.

Members of the Winston-Salem Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division who are handling the case would not say whether the caller who alerted them to the shooting heard gunshots.

Neighbors questioned also added that they had not seen or heard anything abnormal in the early hours of the morning, fueling speculation that the murders could have been committed the previous night or even earlier.

No officers were seen removing the bodies from the residence and are likely still investigating the crime scene. Their investigation is still ongoing, with the case more than likely being treated as a murder-suicide.

Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough (seen here), speaking to bystanders who flocked to the scene at the 3100 block of Brookhill Drive, called the scene “a sad situation.” He told the press, ‘That’s all I can tell you’

When contacted Tuesday night, officers from the Winston-Salem department’s investigative division said there is currently no threat to the neighborhood and they are not looking for suspects.

They ask the public with any pertinent information about the case to contact the Crime Stoppers hotline as the family’s bodies have been turned over to a local coroner.

The children’s deaths are the 14th, 15th and 16th homicides in the North Carolina city this year.