Morgan E. Daub in a video posted to YouTube on Nov. 26, 2022
Police in Pennsylvania believe a family of three known to neighbors and community members as devout supporters of Donald Trump, died in a suicide pact, according to police.
Three bodies were found on Jan. 25 in a home in West Manchester Township, located in York County. Police found them while conducting a welfare check on the victims, who have since been identified as 59-year-old Deborah Daub, 62-year-old James Daub, and 26-year-old Morgan Daub, their daughter.
According to the department, officers found several written notes in the family’s home indicating Deborah and Morgan made a “joint decision” to end their lives months prior.
Police said Deborah fatally shot James in the back of the head before Morgan did the same to Deborah. Then, Morgan fatally shot herself in the head.
“According to a written document left behind by Deborah Daub she speaks of a joint decision by she and Morgan to end their lives,” a statement citing findings reported by lead investigator Det. Timothy Fink reads. “She also speaks about the evil that has mounted against Morgan and the family but does not detail to what she is referring. The rest of the letter seems to be directed to or about God and to her husband, James Daub. The letter reads as if she expects James to survive them after their passing.”
The statement goes on to say that additional documents written by Deborah and Morgan, preparing for their deaths, which documents indicate was planned for January 24. Additionally, a letter signed by James states that he later agreed to end his life as well. Some of the documents attributed to Deborah indicate that the date of their death was chosen by Morgan, citing the scripture of Samuel 1:24-28.
In interviews with NBC News, several people expressed shock and surprise at their deaths and the events leading up to them. Morgan was described as shy and quiet, and both she and Deborah were known to be avid bowlers in the area.
Bret Stabley, the operator of the Bowlers Supply pro shop in nearby York where Deborah and Morgan were customers, said the family was “very, very huge” Trump supporters and Christians who were “never shy about letting anybody know what their beliefs were.”
Stabley also said that before the 2020 election, he remembered encountering them for the last time. “They were just so hell-bent on Trump winning, like this could be in the end if he doesn’t,” he said.
One neighbor described the family as having a “preoccupation with religion, especially on the dad’s part,” and that their house as being “littered” with Trump memorabilia.
Another woman, identified as “Samantha” who described herself as friends with Morgan in a YouTube video, said she believed Morgan’s religious beliefs consumed her.
“Honestly, I’m not shocked that she went crazy. When I was a kid she was completely normal other than her controlling parents and I feel like she snapped,” Samantha said. “I feel like, maybe a few months ago, I think she developed paranoia because she was reciting numbers in her video and that’s a sign of paranoia and schizophrenia so she probably had schizophrenia. She did need help. I would 100 percent say that she did need help.”
The department has since declared the investigation into their deaths “closed.”
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