A family featured on Wife Swap is at the center of a double murder investigation after one of their sons allegedly killed his mother and brother before shooting himself, police confirmed to CBS News.
According to the outlet, authorities responded to a 911 hang-up call on Thursday, June 15, at the Stockdale family’s home in Beach City, Ohio. Officers heard a single gunshot as they approached the residence.
Once inside, police discovered Jacob Stockdale, 25, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Jacob’s mother, Kathryn Stockdale, 54, and brother James Stockdale, 21, were found dead.
Police told CBS News that they believe Jacob, who remains in critical condition in a Cleveland hospital, shot his mother and brother with a shotgun. “This is a tragedy for the family. It is a tragedy for the community,” Stark County Sheriff George T. Maier said.
Jacob, James and their father, Timothy Stockdale, were members of the Stockdale Family bluegrass band. In 2008, the family was featured on the ABC reality series Wife Swap, in which two families from different backgrounds swap matriarchs for a two-week period.
Timothy was not home at the time of the shooting, and the family’s two other sons live in a different town. “Kathy has been my beloved wife of 32 years and a wonderful mother to our four sons,” Timothy said in a statement to CBS News. “She loved nothing more than being a mother and grandmother. [Our family] appreciates the prayers and support we are receiving from our friends and the community.”