Man Shoots 7-Month-Pregnant Wife and 2 Young Kids in Horrific Murder-Suicide
Danielle Lynne Arruda aged 39 as well as her two young children aged 2 and 6, and her unborn child . Photo: gofundme
A horrific tragedy unfolded in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, where 39-year-old Nicholas D. Arruda shot and killed his seven-months-pregnant wife, Danielle L. Arruda, their two children, Adele, 5, and Felix, 2, before taking his own life.
West Greenwich Police Chief Richard N. Ramsay confirmed the details during a press conference on January 8, stating, “I wish there could be an explanation to help you make sense of this horrific act. But the truth is we may never know why it happened.”
The incident occurred between 8 p.m. on New Year’s Day and 5:20 a.m. on January 2 inside the family’s home on Cheyenne Trail. Police discovered the bodies on January 3 after responding to a wellness check for Danielle, who had failed to show up for work on Thursday and had not called in on Friday.
Officers forced entry into the home due to “suspicious circumstances,” uncovering what Ramsay described as “one of the worst” scenes he had encountered in his 30-year career, per the Boston Globe,
“Once inside the home, officers immediately noticed the bodies of two young children, an adult male, and a pregnant female,” Ramsay said. “It was apparent there were no signs of life to any of the bodies and that all four had suffered fatal gunshot wounds.”
Nicholas Arruda reportedly used an M4-type semiautomatic weapon, which was found next to his body. Investigators determined he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and saw no signs of a struggle from the victims.
Ramsay noted that there had been no prior reports of trouble at the Arruda household. “They lived together, and all indications from family and friends were that they loved each other and they loved their children,” he said to WPRI reported.
“This came out of the blue,” said Danielle’s cousin, Mikayla Ruffner Cihat, to The Providence Journal. She recounted celebrating Christmas with the family just days before the tragedy.
Cihat launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist with memorial services and to support the extended family. “Danielle was loving, smart, caring, and the funniest person you’ll ever meet,” Cihat wrote on the page. “She would light up any room she walked in.”
The campaign, with a goal of $25,000, has already raised over $20,000, reflecting the community’s outpouring of support for the grieving family.
