Ava Lee Rose King, a 4-year-old female from Plainville, Connecticut, was killed on March 27, 2026, in a shooting that also took the lives of her mother, Felisha Ann Matthews, 31, and her 12-year-old sister, Mileena Burnham-Matthews. Ava’s obituary described her as a joyful, imaginative child with a bright spirit, someone who brought happiness into rooms she entered and was deeply loved by her family.
She was remembered as a child who loved make-believe, dolls, and the warmth of being surrounded by the people who adored her.
The violence unfolded at a home on Milford Street in Plainville on the afternoon of Friday, March 27. Police said a woman called dispatchers shortly before 4 p.m. after her brother, 27-year-old Patrick King, contacted her and claimed that he had killed his girlfriend and their 4-year-old daughter and planned to kill himself. Officers responded to the home, surrounded the property, and tried to make contact with King, who was believed to still be inside.
Authorities later identified the victims as Felisha Matthews, her daughter Mileena, and Ava King. Police said all three were found dead inside the home from gunshot wounds. Felisha had reportedly been in a relationship with Patrick King for about seven years, and Ava was their daughter. Mileena was Felisha’s daughter from a previous relationship and lived with the couple.
The police response turned into a standoff that lasted for hours. Negotiators were able to reach Patrick King by phone and tried to persuade him to come out of the home, while officers and responding tactical teams secured the area. Reports said police used drones during the response and eventually deployed pepper gas after negotiations failed. At that point, King shot himself. He was taken to a hospital but was later pronounced dead.
There were no surviving suspects arrested in the case. Police identified Patrick King as the suspected shooter and said he died by suicide after the killings. Because he died during the standoff, the case did not proceed into an arrest, trial, or conviction. Investigators said the firearm believed to have been used appeared to be legally registered to King, and authorities also reported finding multiple weapons in the home. Police said they were continuing to review evidence to determine what led up to the shooting, but no motive had been publicly released.
The deaths left Plainville shaken, with neighbors and loved ones describing the family as part of the community and expressing disbelief over the loss. A memorial grew outside the Milford Street home as people left flowers, mementos, and tributes for Felisha, Mileena, and Ava. Ava’s death was part of a domestic murder-suicide that took an entire household in a single afternoon, ending the life of a young child remembered by her family not for the way she died, but for the joy, laughter, and love she brought during the short time she lived.
