BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A family is grieving and a community is shaken after the deaths of two Bethlehem parents in what police say is an apparent murder-suicide.
Sarah Rice, 39, and her partner, Greg Johnson, 42, were found in their basement this past Friday with gunshot wounds. The couple shared three young children.
Police were called to the 200 block of 10th Avenue on Jan. 2 after a child who returned home from a playdate noticed something seriously wrong.
Investigators found Rice and Johnson in the basement of the home along with a firearm. Two other children were home at the time and unharmed, along with an older adult who police say was unaware of the incident.
The Lehigh County coroner says both Rice and Johnson died of gunshot wounds to the head.
Lorisa Pineda, with Fostering Hope Northampton, is collecting supplies for the couple’s young children.
“We provide essentials, we provide clothing and community. The girls will have ongoing needs as will all children in situations like these so we try to step in to be a village,” Pineda told 69 News.
Pineda told us she’s overwhelmed with the amount of support that came in, in a matter of hours.
“The community outreach was incredible, that word doesn’t even describe it. It’s inspiring, it’s why we do the work that we do,” Pineda stated.
Rice’s family has started a GoFundMe saying the mom of four was taken by a senseless act of violence. The page has already raised more than $27,000 by Monday night.
Two of the couple’s three children attend Bethlehem Area School District. The district released a statement over the weekend saying counseling services would be available to students and staff.