On January 27, 2018, at approximately 7:30 a.m., officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 3400 block of Amberton Court in White Plains for the report of unknown trouble.

A preliminary investigation showed an adolescent child who lives in the house called 9-1-1 to report a disturbance between his parents. The child advised he was with two siblings (all under the age of 12) and that he thought he heard gunshots. The 9-1-1 call-taker stayed on the phone with the child and instructed him and his siblings to hide in the basement while police responded. Officers arrived within minutes, located the children, and took them to safety. Officers checked the house and found the children’s parents deceased in an upstairs bedroom.

It appears the father of the children shot his wife and then committed suicide. The victim has been identified as Candace Carnathan, 33 and her husband is identified as Calvin Carnathan, 33.

Further investigation showed the victim obtained a temporary protective order against her husband on January 26, which was served to him within an hour of receiving it by members of the CCSO Domestic Violence Unit. In that protective order, the husband was ordered to vacate the house and have no contact with his wife or children. It is not immediately clear what prompted the victim to obtain a protective order.

Det. C. Shankster is investigating.