FRANKLIN, N.H. (WHDH) - Authorities say man fatally shot his 1-and-a-half-year-old daughter and her mother, and also wounded the woman’s 5-year-old daughter in a horrific triple shooting in Franklin, New Hampshire on Saturday that set off an hourslong manhunt that ended with the discovery of his body near the Merrimack River.
Officers responding to a reported shooting at a home on Elkins Street around 12 p.m. found Nicole Hughes and her daughter, Ariella Bell, dead from gunshot wounds, according to the New Hampshire Attorney Generals’ Office. Her 5-year-old daughter was also suffering from a gunshot wound and was taken to the hospital.
The triple-shooting sparked a manhunt for the toddler’s father, Jamie Bell, 42, who police warned should be considered armed and dangerous.
Around 5:30 p.m. Bell was found dead on the banks of the Merrimack River with a self-inflicted wound to his neck. Investigators say he had an intimate relationship with Hughes but declined to discuss the nature of their relationship.
An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday morning.
No additional information was immediately available.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
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