FRANKLIN, NH — A mother and her baby daughter were found shot to death in Franklin, New Hampshire Saturday. Officials deemed the girl’s father as the suspect in the case, hours before he was found dead on the bank of the Merrimack River.
First responders arrived just after noon to find Nicole Hughes and her infant daughter, Ariella Bell, deceased from apparent gunshot wounds in their Elkins Street home.
Hughes’ other child, a five-year-old girl, was also shot in the arm. She was transported to a Massachusetts hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Jamie Bell, the girl’s father, was identified as a suspect. Bell, who lived in the home with the deceased, was found dead on the banks of the Merrimack River around 5:30 p.m. Officials say the cause of death appears to be a self-inflicted cut to his neck.
[ Person of interest in ‘suspicious’ deaths in Franklin, NH found dead, AG’s office says ]
The five-year-old girl that suffered non-life-threatening wounds is from Hughes’ prior relationship.
The investigation into the homicide is ongoing. Autopsies for the deceased are scheduled for Sunday, June 4.
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