Community comes to grips with double murder-suicide in Pocom

grips with the double murder- suicide on groton road. in an update to this story which broke yesterday afternoon — 47 abc’s lissette nu?ez spoke with neighbors and friends today — who tell us more about the victims and the alleged suspect. janice elliott, neighbor, pocomoke city, md 16:10:11 it’s been a devastating loss this has been”16:10:13 track 1 members of the community are still trying to wrap their heads around what happened on monday when police found three bodies inside this home on groton road. 78 year-old marvin wilmer purnell 53 year-old karen purnell and 46 year-old marvin desmond purnell. it’s not clear how they died — since investigators are still waiting on an autopsy to confirm cause of death — but police are calling the younger marvin the suspect in the deaths of the other two — with the belief that he later killed himself. janice elliot – a long time neighbor — tells 47 abc she lived across from the purnells for the past 35 years. janice elliott, neighbor, pocomoke city, md “16:07:45 they were verygood neighbors.”16:07:47 butt 16:07:54 they raised their children with good morals.”16:07:58 track 2 elliott and members of the family’s church tell 47 abc marvin wilmer purnell – known as big marvin was the father of both karen purnell and marvin desmond purnell – who is alsoknown as little marvin but maryland state police – tell us a different story. m-s-p sayskaren purnell is big marvin’s sister – and little marvin is his son. on monday afternoon — police went to their house — after family friends expressed concern about karen’s welfare. fellow church members tell 47 abc they last saw her a week ago. they started to worry when she and her family didn’t show up on sunday for an event. reverend anna foster, mt. zion church “15:56:40 they were supposed to prepare a meal and we had been calling all day and no one answered.”15:56:45 butt 15:57:58we had members who had gone to the home, knocked on the door, windows and never got a response”15:58:06 track 3 reverend ana foster tell us it’s not like karen to miss these events. during the well-check — investigators heard the voice of a man inside the house. but when officers entered the home — they made a gruesome discovery. they reportedly found the bodies of karen and bigmarvin — decomposing. police say the body of little marvin — had a self-inflicted gun shot wound. state police tell 47 abc — no shots were heard by emergency responders on the scene — and no wounds were found on karen and big marvin — because of how much the bodies had decomposed – however they could not confirm how long they were dead. when 47 abc asked the reverend about the kind of person little marvin was – they described the suspect as quiet – a person who didn’t frequent church as much as the rest of the family. however elliott described him as helpful and caring. janice elliott, neighbor, pocomoke city, md “16:09:16 he was a good hearted boy if it snowed, he would shovel the snow for me , or bring me my newspaper and he did it for various people in the neighborhood.”16:09:3 0 track 4 and now community members are left with the memories of this loss and preparing for a memorial service for the family in the coming days. lissette nu?ez 47 abc. a long time friend of the purnell family also reached to 47 abc this morning. she tells us — this family experienced a very difficult loss not long ago. big marvin — lost both his wife and one of his daughters — approximately five years ago — due to medical issues. turning now to the weather. after another beautiful day today — some