In a quiet Stafford, Virginia subdivision, the life of 17-month-old Abigail Buckley was tragically cut short on November 17, 2016. The young female was found deceased in her family's home on Wilderness Court in what authorities determined to be a devastating murder-suicide.
The horrific event was initiated by a chilling 911 call from a man who identified himself as Lance Buckley, Abigail's father. He reported three murders and a suicide before abruptly hanging up.
When deputies from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office arrived at the residence, they discovered the bodies of Lance Buckley, 35; his wife, Amy Buckley, 30; and their two young daughters, five-year-old Claire and Abigail. All four had suffered fatal gunshot wounds to the head. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later confirmed that the deaths of Amy, Claire, and Abigail were homicides, while Lance Buckley's death was ruled a suicide.
The investigation revealed that Lance Buckley was the sole perpetrator of the violence. A year prior to the incident, he had been the subject of a widely publicized missing person case. He disappeared for several days shortly after Abigail's birth and was eventually found unharmed at a campground in West Virginia. At the time, his family had expressed their love and concern, pleading for his safe return.
Given that the suspect took his own life after committing the murders, there were no arrests made in the case. The investigation concluded that Lance Buckley acted alone, bringing a tragic end to the lives of his entire family. The community was left to mourn the senseless loss of Abigail, her sister, and her mother at the hands of their father.
