Calaveras County is in the California gold country in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It was made famous in the Mark Twain short story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.
It was not the 19th century gold rush, but the 21st century real estate rush, that brought us today's tragic tale.
The Calaveras County Sheriff's Office has identified the three people killed in the suspected murder suicide in Murphys.
The body of 54-year-old Phillip Marshall, and his two juvenile children, were found inside their home in the Forest Meadows subdivision yesterday afternoon. All three died from gunshot wounds to the head. The children were 17-year-old Alex Marshall and 14-year-old Macaila Marshall, both students at Bret Harte High School. The family dog was also found dead. The Sheriff's Office believes that Phillip shot his children, and then turned the gun on himself. Phillip's estranged wife, and mother of the two children, was out of town at the time of the shootings.
The home at 1259 Sandalwood Drive was purchased in 2004 for $584,000. It is now worth $344,616 according to Zillow.
Greenspan's Body Count stands at 239.
