A man fatally shot a woman, their 18-month-old daughter, and wounded another child before he was found dead hours later by suicide on the bank of the Merrimack River, autopsies confirmed Sunday, according to the New Hampshire attorney general’s office.
Autopsies completed on 35-year-old Nicole Hughes and her toddler daughter Ariella Bell determined that both died of multiple gunshot wounds, and their deaths were ruled homicides. Jamie Bell died from a "single, self-inflicted incised wound of the neck," and his death was ruled a suicide, according to a statement from the attorney general's office.
The investigation into the homicides of Hughes and her daughter Ariella continues, however officials believe Jamie Bell shot and killed them both before fleeing and eventually taking his own life.
According to authorities, Jamie Bell, 42, had been seen fleeing a home in Franklin, NH, on Saturday afternoon. Neighbors said they had heard gunshots.
Police arrived at the Elkins Street house to find Hughes, 35, and Ariella Bell, her daughter with Jamie Bell, shot to death, officials said in a Saturday evening press conference.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
Local
Hughes’ 5-year-old daughter from another relationship had a gunshot wound to her arm and a cut on her back, officials said. She was taken to a hospital in Massachusetts with non-life threatening injuries.
The girl, whose name has not been shared, "is out of the hospital and recovering," according to an online update from the superintendent of the Franklin School District.
Police spent several hours Saturday searching for Jamie Bell, first identified as a person of interest, on foot and by helicopter. The attorney general’s office had said he was armed and dangerous.
Hughes and Jamie Bell were described as “intimate partners” but officials have not provided further details on their relationship.
An investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not provided a motive in the killings.
If you or someone you know needs help, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling 988, call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741 anytime.
