Tampa Bay Rays pitching prospect's wife, child and mother-in-law are murdered

The wife, young son, and mother-in-law of a Tampa Bay Rays pitching prospect have been slain in a horror triple murder, with the wife's brother named as the suspect after he went on a naked rampage.

Blake Bivens, a 24-year-old pitcher with the Ray's Double-A affiliate the Montgomery Biscuits, learned of his family's murder in southern Virginia on Tuesday, hours before a scheduled double header.

His wife Emily, son Cullen, and Emily's mother were found dead in their home.



Mathew Bernard, 18, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder



Emily's brother Mathew Bernard, 18, has been arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

'Earlier today we learned that Blake Bivens, a pitcher with our Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits, suffered a terrible family tragedy in southern Virginia,' the Rays said in a statement.

The slain wife and child of Rays prospect Blake Bivens are seen right with him, and left

Bivens is seen pitching for the Single-A Bowling Green Hot Rods in 2016. He has moved up through the organization to Double-A and is considered a hot prospect

'Our hearts are broken for Blake. We are grieving with him and will support him any way we can. We ask that everyone respect the privacy of the Bivens family and the Biscuits family during this extremely difficult time,' the statement continued.

The Biscuits cancelled both of the games scheduled for Tuesday upon news of the murders.

The victims were first publicly identified as members of Bivens' family by ESPN reporter Jeff Passan.

Police have not publicly stated how they believe the murders were carried out, though they did say Bernard was armed with a rifle.

The Medical Examiner’s Office in Roanoke will officially determine the cause and manner of death.

A right-handed hurler, Bivens was selected by the Rays in the fourth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Washington High School in Danville, Virginia.

Bivens married his wife Emily in 2016. Their son Cullen Micah Bivens turned one in June, according to social media posts.

Emily was a photographer and devout Christian, her Facebook page shows.

Emily and young Cullen are seen watching one of Bivens' games earlier this month. The mother and child were found brutally slain on Tuesday morning

Bivens is seen last year wearing a Charlotte Stone Crabs uniform with his wife and son

Emily and Bevins were married in 2016, and their son was born in June 2018

The tragic case unfolded on Tuesday morning at about 8am, when a neighbor saw a body in the driveway of a home on Keeling Drive in Pittsylvania, Virginia.

Police and paramedics rushed to the scene, and found two additional bodies inside the home.

Bernard was immediately named as a suspect, and police issued a public alert to be on the lookout for the teenager.

'He is armed with a rifle and considered very dangerous,' the alert stated.

Within hours, Bernard was spotted running in the area, fully nude.

The police pursuit unfolded right in front of news cameras that had staged in the area.

'ABC 13's Kyle Wilcox was standing in the media staging area when Bernard ran past reporters,' WSET-TV reported.

Bernard then allegedly attacked a Keeling Baptist Church groundskeeper, trying to strangle him.

Cops maced and tasered Bernard to no avail, and captured him as he tried to run toward the nearby murder scene

Bernard went on a rampage right in the media staging area, running naked past the cameras and trying to strangle the groundskeeper at Keeling Baptist Church

After attacking the groundskeeper, Bernard continued running toward the murder scene, unfazed by mace and police batons, until he was wrestled to the ground

Video from WSET shows the moment Bernard ran after a police officer who is seen spraying him with mace on the church's property.

Bernard is heard screaming a bit before he ran over to the groundskeeper and appeared to try and choke him.

The officer then ran over to help the elderly man and Bernard ran off again.

He was then seen running down the road where a police car and several other officers were waiting to taser and arrest him.

When he was arrested, Bernard was not armed with a weapon.

Authorities said it's unclear what prompted the rampage. Bernard is being treated at a local medical facility. The investigation continues.