Nicholas Mavrakis Jackson Township Ohio former US Army vet kills wife, two young children and self in apparent murder suicide after suffering PTSD.
A military veteran suffering from PTSD is thought to have shot dead his wife and two young children along with himself in a suspected murder-suicide on Father’s Day in Ohio according to authorities.
Nicholas Mavrakis, 47, his wife, Lesley Mavrakis, 37, and their two children Ace, 13, and Pippa, five, all died from gunshot wounds, News 5 Cleveland reported.
The family were found in their home on Salerno St, Jackson Township, after police responded to a welfare check on Sunday afternoon just after 4pm according to an online obituary.
The incident is being investigated as a domestic dispute that resulted in a triple homicide and suicide, Jackson Township Police said on Monday in a Facebook release.
The father served in the US army for more than 20 years before retiring in 2013, with Tony Mavrakis, Nicholas’ brother, claiming the army vet suffered from PTSD, which led him to kill his wife and children before committing suicide. Police do not believe any other people were involved in the incident.
Numerous overseas deployments
Nicolas Mavrakis retired as a staff sergeant in July 2013 after serving 20 years in the US Army, according to the Department of Defense.
He was deployed to Afghanistan from January 2002 until July 2002 as well as serving in Iraq on two separate occasions in 2003 and 2007, records showed.
Tony Mavrakis, from Canton, Ohio, posted on Facebook claiming that his brother Nicholas suffered from PTSD, which had led him to kill his wife and children before committing suicide.
He wrote: ‘Yesterday on Father’s Day 2021, my brother, Nicholas Mavrakis, whom served with The U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division for 22 years, and suffered with PTSD as a result of this service, killed his wife and two children, then himself.
‘If you served with my brother and/or know someone that has, please help me notify his fellow service members of this tragic event.’
One of Lesley’s relatives reportedly called 911 after nobody answered the door at the house and she grew concerned, according to The Repository.
She told 911 dispatchers: ‘I don’t know what’s going on. I know her husband has like PTSD from the military and he’s been having problems.’
What treatment had the former vet been availed?
A neighbour, who moved to the area in 2016, said the military veteran suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A police statement read: ‘On Sunday, June 20, 2021, at approximately 4.09pm, the Jackson Township Police Department was requested for a welfare check in the 6800 block of Salerno St, NW, Jackson Township.
‘Upon arrival officers located four deceased family members. This incident is being investigated as a domestic dispute that turned deadly.
‘At this time it is believed there are no other persons involved in this incident.
‘The Jackson Township Detective Bureau, along with the Coroner’s Office and Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating this as a triple homicide, suicide.
‘No other details of this incident will be released until notification of next of kin or additional information becomes available.’
While Jackson Local Schools Superintendent Chris DiLoreto said in a statement: ‘Our district grieves the loss of two young children.
‘Ace Mavrakis was well liked by faculty and staff at Jackson Memorial Middle School. He was a member of the Jackson High School ninth-grade football team.
‘Pippa Mavrakis was registered to start kindergarten at Strausser Elementary School in August.’
Not immediately clear is what treatment the father had been receiving to treat his PTSD, if any and how the US Army handles former soldiers suffering from the mental illness.
The coroner is still in the process of conducting autopsies to determine the manner of death.
