Advertisement DA identifies 3 children, mother, father found dead in Abington condo

Three children and two adults from one family were found dead Monday in a condo in Abington.Police received a 911 call at 7:30 a.m. for a report of a medical emergency at 135 Centre Avenue.Upon arrival, officers found the body of a woman and a man and three children, including twins, District Attorney Timothy Cruz said. The dead include a mother, father and their three children. The victims have been identified by the district attorney as Deirdre Zaccardi, 40; Alexis, 11; Nathaniel and Kathryn, 9; and Joseph Zaccardi, 43. 5 Investigates learned that a family member went to pick up one of the children for school, found the woman on a couch and called police."All of the deaths appear to be the result of gunshot wounds," Cruz said. "This appears to be an isolated incident. There is no current threat to public safety." Abington police chief David Majenski called it a "horrific event no one should ever see."The family's next-door neighbor, Heather McNulty, heard four loud banging noises at 1 a.m. Monday, which she thought was the sound of her dumpster door banging in the wind."Obviously, that was not what it was," McNulty said. "Whatever it was, I don't know why the children had to -- why that had to happen to them. It's just sad."“Today our family has suffered an unfathomable loss. As we attempt to make sense of the enormity of this event, we respectfully ask that the media respect our family’s wishes to be left alone as we grieve our tremendous losses in private,” the family said in a statement.Abington Superintendent of Schools Peter Schafer identified the victims as members of the Zaccardi family. "We are heartbroken to share with you that the Zaccardi family, an Abington family, died unexpectedly (Sunday) night. There are three young students of this family in our district," Schafer said in a statement. "This was an unexpected event, which deeply saddens all of us."EMI Strategic Marketing, whom Deirdre Zaccardi worked for nearly two decades, described her as a "lovely person—a trusted employee and valued friend." "Her welcoming smile, constant enthusiasm, sense of humor and talent for organizing just about anything made her indispensable to the company," the company wrote. "Her deep commitment to her children, and the pride she took in their accomplishments, small and large, were part of many conversations," the statement said. "We will miss her greatly."Counselors were available throughout the district to help students during and after school."Today, our hearts were broken when we learned of the senseless tragedy in Abington. Words cannot describe the sadness we feel," State Rep. Alyson Sullivan wrote in a Facebook post. "My thoughts, condolences and prayers, like everyone else's, are with the family, loved ones and friends of the victims of (Monday's) unthinkable tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are also with the first responders and school administrators as they deal with the grief of the innocent loss of life."