A Pennsylvania murder-suicide is the reason for a family of five being discovered dead inside their Sinking Spring home on Saturday.
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Assistant Chief Deputy Coroner Michael Fizz said a post-mortem examination for Mark Short will be carried out but none were planned for the mother or her children.
The bodies were discovered on Saturday afternoon in the town of Sinking Spring, 70 miles northwest of Philadelphia in Berks County.
Mark Short was at one time a resident of Folcroft, according to media reports. The couple had been having “domestic issues”, the DA’s office said. According to the Reading Eagle, Megan had been open with friends that she was planning to leave Mike, was about to move out of their house, and had discussed issues of domestic abuse on Facebook. “I still see her tiny heart beating through the dressing used to cover her open chest and all the tubes and wires and machines as I wondered if they would be able to keep her alive until a donor heart became available”. He was all family. “They were such lovely children”, said Michael Short, father of Mark Short Sr.
Mark’s family told reporters the couple took the kids to Disney World this past February as a way to improve their marriage.
At the same time Megan wasn’t shy about her struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. News articles had previously featured the family after 2-year-old Willow survived a heart transplant after birth.
In an April 13 post on the Philly at Heart website, Megan Short wrote of her emotional struggles over her child’s condition.
“Certain smells and hallways trigger memories every single time“, she said.
She also said she experienced “survivor’s guilt” when children with similar problems from other families passed away.
I don’t think PTSD ever truly goes away but, with therapy, medication, and the right support, I have begun to loosen its grip on me.
“I wanted to share my experience so that other heart parents know they are not alone”.
Mark, 40; Megan, 33; and their children 8-year-old Lianna, 5-year-old Mark Jr, and 2-year-old Willow were found dead in the living room, Adams said.
When authorities arrived at the home, they made a forcible entry and found five dead bodies and a dead dog.
A handgun was recovered near one of the adults, as well as an apparent murder/suicide note.
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But against the odds, a donor was found for Willow, and the transplant was successful, making her one of just three babies to have a heart transplant that year at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.She’d recently been doing well, according to the blog Willow’s Heart Journey, which on May 27 celebrated that she’d received a zero rejection grade for her transplant.That makes her death incredibly sad because she was a survivor and because the donated heart was such a special gift, Nathan said.”It’s a frightful tragedy”, he said.
