Authorities say Robert Orsi, 51, fatally shot his 44-year-old wife, Charlene Ann Orsi, inside their Wetumpka, Alabama, home

'By the Grace of God' Young Girls Escape Murder-Suicide as Their Dad Kills Mom and Sister

Authorities say a pending divorce prompted by a husband’s suspected drug use is at the heart of a murder-suicide last weekend that left an Alabama family-of-six in tatters, PEOPLE confirms.

On Saturday night Robert Orsi, 51, fatally shot his 44-year-old wife, Charlene Ann Orsi, inside their Wetumpka home, Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said in a statement.

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Orsi also shot the couple’s 12-year-old triplet daughters, killing one of them. The other two girls survived. They have undergone multiple surgeries and are expected to recover.

A fourth child, a 13-year-old girl, managed to escape uninjured to a neighbor’s house amid the gunfire, authorities said.

Finally, Orsi set fire to the family’s home before fatally shooting himself, according to the sheriff’s statement.

The murder-suicide came nine days after Charlene, a third-grade teacher, filed divorce papers that sought full custody of the couple’s four kids.

Sheriff Franklin said she sought the split “due to Mr. Orsi’s alleged drug use.”

Image zoom Charley Orsi/Facebook

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Law enforcement was called to the Orsi home on Saturday night to find the residence already ablaze. One of the victims was found dead in the carport; another was found in a bedroom.

The wounded daughters, who had each been shot multiple times, “were able to exit” as their father spread gas throughout the house, according to authorities.

It’s unclear where the girls were shot.

Franklin said they will likely recover physically, but he noted the mental trauma of such an altercation.

“By the grace of God, these other two children were able to escape,” he told local media, adding, “They were able to get up and scamper out of the house.”