Dad Pushes His Kids Off A Parking Garage, And His Wife Remembers Him As A Wonderful Parent

On Tuesday, November 3rd, a 42-year-old dad and his two young children died after falling from a parking garage on Florida Avenue in Mt. Lebanon, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

At 4:16 that afternoon, police officers rushed to the scene after receiving a 911 call about the incident. Life-saving measures were performed by first responders, but sadly, all three were pronounced dead at the scene.

Allegheny County Police say Patrick Lynch threw his 8-year-old son, James, and 6-year-old daughter, Caroline, from the garage and then jumped himself.

"Preliminary information suggests that this incident is a murder-suicide and there is no danger to the community," the Allegheny County Police shared in a statement.

The following day, Patrick's wife and the children's mother, Anna, posted publicly on social media, in what she called an attempt to get ahead of the headlines.

"My husband made the irreversible decision to kill our two children and himself this evening," she wrote. She said that before the media jumped to conclusions, he was a "wonderful dad."

According to Anna, Patrick had been laid off in August and became depressed soon afterward. She suggested he see a therapist, and he agreed. Patrick had an appointment booked for the day after he pushed his kids off the parking garage and took his own life.

"One day too late. Please check in on your loved ones. I never thought this is how our story would end," Anna continued. She ended her post with a goodbye to her kids, wishing James could ski all the bowls he wanted and Caroline could eat all the Skittles and have a castle of her own made of slime. She called the two "best friends forever."

Police haven't yet released a motive, and what's known about Patrick's job loss as well as his depression comes from Anna's account.

Facebook - pictured above are Patrick, James, and Caroline

Two elementary schools, Markham and Washington, closed on Wednesday, along with Honey Bee Haven, the day care Caroline attended.

In a statement on social media, the day care said she was one of their own and "her loss is something we cannot begin to comprehend."

"Last night, these 2 beautiful, perfect children lost their lives in the most unimaginable way. No mother should ever have to experience this kind of pain," one of Anna's friends said on a GoFundMe page created for her.

"Especially Anna, who devoted her life to her family and to the community. To know her is to love her. Nothing I write here will bring her babies back and give her any sense of justice or peace. If we, her family and friends, can ease the financial burden of having to bury her children and her husband, it would be a relief."

If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, at any time.

You can view the GoFundMe page for Anna here.