In a quiet Henderson, Nevada neighborhood, the life of 35-year-old Selina Rose Rowsell, a Hispanic female, was tragically cut short on the evening of September 20, 2018. The events of that night unfolded in a devastating act of violence that also claimed the lives of two of her children.
Emergency services were called to a home on Paradise Garden Drive around 7:30 p.m. following multiple reports of gunfire. Upon their arrival, they discovered a house engulfed in flames.
Inside the burning home, first responders found the bodies of four individuals who had all been shot. The victims were identified as Selina Rowsell, her 15-year-old son Arias Josue Franco, and her 5-year-old son Avi Liam Franco. The fourth individual was 27-year-old Michael Franco.
Investigators determined that the incident was a triple murder-suicide. Michael Franco, the father of the youngest child, Avi, was identified as the shooter. According to the Clark County coroner's office, Selina and her two sons died by homicide, while Michael Franco's death was ruled a suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The investigation revealed that the shooting occurred during a family disturbance.
The tragedy was witnessed in part by neighbors who reported hearing gunshots and seeing a teenage girl screaming and running from the house. This surviving teenager was another of Selina's children who managed to escape the horrific scene. Neighbors also recounted seeing Michael Franco exit the house after the initial shots, retrieve two bags from his car, and then go back inside before the fire started. As the perpetrator took his own life, there were no arrests to be made in connection with the deaths of Selina Rowsell and her two sons.
