In a quiet Plainville, Connecticut home, the life of a bright and imaginative 4-year-old girl named Ava Lee Rose King was tragically cut short on March 27, 2026. Ava, a female with a nurturing soul who loved to play dress-up and care for her dolls, was a victim of a horrific act of violence that also claimed the lives of her mother and older half-sister.
The devastating events unfolded on a Friday afternoon when police were called to the family's Milford Street residence.
A relative of Patrick King, Ava's 27-year-old father, had contacted authorities with an alarming call, stating that King had claimed to have killed his girlfriend, 31-year-old Felisha Matthews, and their young daughter. A two-hour standoff with police ensued. Negotiators attempted to make contact with King, but their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. After deploying pepper gas into the home in an attempt to force a surrender, officers heard a final gunshot.
Inside the home, law enforcement discovered a scene of profound tragedy. Ava, her mother Felisha, and her 12-year-old half-sister, Mileena Burnham-Matthews, were all found deceased. The state's Chief Medical Examiner later confirmed that all three had died from gunshot wounds to the head, and their deaths were ruled as homicides. Patrick King was also found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and his death was ruled a suicide. The firearms found in the home were legally registered to him.
The family had only recently moved to Plainville from Bristol in January of that year. While Plainville police had no prior contact with the family, it was reported that Bristol police had previous interactions with King, including a medical/mental health call when he was an adult and an unfounded disturbance complaint. In the wake of the tragedy, those who knew Ava remembered her as a joyful child with a "bright, beautiful spirit that touched everyone she met." Her family recalled her wonderful imagination and the natural kindness she displayed, leading them to believe she might one day become a doctor. The community was left to mourn the senseless loss of three innocent lives, with a memorial of balloons, stuffed animals, and flowers growing on the porch of the home where their lives were so violently ended.
