Mileena Elizabeth Burnham-Matthews, a 12-year-old female, was killed on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Plainville, Connecticut, in what police described as a murder-suicide inside the family's home on Milford Street. She died alongside her mother, 31-year-old Felisha Matthews, and her 4-year-old sister, Ava King. Online memorials described Mileena as a child whose life was tragically taken far too soon, remembered for her laughter, personality, sense of humor, and the joy she brought to people
around her.
The violence came to light shortly before 4 p.m. when police said a woman called authorities and reported that her brother, 27-year-old Patrick King, had contacted her and claimed he had shot and killed his girlfriend and young daughter. Officers responded to the Milford Street home, shut down the area, and established a perimeter around the residence. Authorities later identified King as Felisha Matthews' boyfriend and Ava King's father. Mileena was Felisha's daughter from a previous relationship and lived in the home with them.
As police surrounded the house, they attempted to communicate with King and bring the situation to a peaceful end. A multi-agency SWAT response was called in, and negotiators reportedly made contact with him by phone during a standoff that lasted about two hours. Officers used drones and later deployed pepper gas in an effort to force him out of the home. Soon afterward, police heard a gunshot from inside. King was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Inside the home, investigators found Felisha, Mileena, and Ava dead. Authorities said the victims had been shot, and later reports said autopsies confirmed the victims died from gunshot wounds to the head. Police said the firearm believed to have been used was legally registered to King, who also had a permit to carry. Several other weapons were reportedly recovered from the home as investigators worked to determine what led up to the killings.
No arrest was made because the suspected shooter, Patrick King, died by suicide during the police standoff. Police identified him as the person believed to have killed Felisha Matthews, Mileena Burnham-Matthews, and Ava King before taking his own life. As of the reports available after the incident, authorities had not released a clear motive, and the investigation remained focused on reconstructing the events inside the home and understanding what triggered the attack.
The killings stunned Plainville and also reached into Bristol, where Mileena had previously been part of the Bristol Public Schools community. School officials publicly acknowledged the loss and offered support to students and families affected by the news. In Plainville, neighbors and loved ones left flowers, balloons, stuffed animals, and other tributes outside the Milford Street home, turning the scene of the violence into a memorial for a mother and two children whose lives were suddenly taken. Community members also began honoring the victims with pink lights, describing the gesture as a way to remember Felisha, Mileena, and Ava as individuals rather than only as victims of a horrifying act.
