The names of the two people involved in Friday's murder-suicide have now been confirmed by the Town of Guilderland police department.
Saturday, the department sent a press release. They say Caitlin Melville, 27, shot her five-year-old daughter before shooting herself. Both were residents at the Schoolhouse Rd. home in Guilderland.
The department says Caitlin was unemployed and her daughter was a kindergarten student at Westmere Elementary School in Guilderland.
Following the press release, the superintendent for the elementary school released their own statement.
"The Guilderland Central School District community is stunned and saddened over this news and we are all grieving this loss of life. In times like these, our first obligation is to support the health and safety our students, faculty, and staff.
A team of counselors, school psychologists, and social workers will be on hand at Westmere Elementary School in the coming days to provide support to any student, faculty or staff member who might need assistance. Support will also be available throughout the district’s other six school buildings and will remain in place as long as needed," the statement read in part.
The department is currently unable to provide details of the motive, and say the investigation is ongoing.
Friday evening, we reported police had confirmed two people in a Guilderland home were dead. A high level law enforcement source told us it was being investigated as an apparent murder-suicide.
Police said they were called to the scene around 3:30 p.m. Friday to the home. Neighbors told us Friday, the family who lived in the home kept mostly to themselves.
One neighbor said they often saw the mother putting her daughter on the school bus most mornings. Friday, police said a dog and cat were taken from the home and led out by police earlier that evening.
An autopsy was scheduled for Saturday.