A tragic event in DeKalb County, Georgia, has left five individuals dead in what authorities are describing as a murder-suicide. A former Milwaukee woman, Mollie Johnson, 43, and her family were the victims in this devastating incident, as reported by WISN.

According to WISN, Johnson, her grandkids, ages 5 and 1, and their mother were shot and killed in their apartment by Johnson's boyfriend, Jonathan Darden, who then turned the gun on himself. The family had been residing in Georgia for about two years, and their relatives have launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral and burial expenses for the victims back home in Milwaukee.

The events point towards a looming domestic violence issue in the area. As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, Georgia has seen a 75% increase in murder-suicide cases related to domestic violence from 2018 to 2021. "These situations are very unpredictable… having to live with that level of fear and then having your life taken in that way," shared Barbara Gibson from the Women's Resource Center during an interview with the news outlet.

Details of the grisly discovery were shared by Chanel Carter, Johnson's daughter, who called the police to conduct a welfare check after days without contact from her family. "I flashed my own light in the back window and that’s when I seen a body on the floor and a baby’s foot on the bed," Carter recounted to FOX 5 Atlanta. The family had apparently been planning to leave before the tragedy occurred.

The apartment complex, located in Vineyard Walk, became a crime scene that reflects a narrative all too common in discussions surrounding domestic violence and shows the human cost of these tragedies. The Journal Sentinel confirms the police identified Darden as the perpetrator, although the motive remains unclear.