‘It’s very scary’: Fear remains in West Brookfield following murder of mother and her three children
Authorities have not released any information on a potential motive for the slayings.
While authorities continue to investigate the murder of a West Brookfield mother and her three young children, the residents of the central Massachusetts town remain fearful and shaken by the violence that occurred three weeks ago.
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No suspects have been named, and no new information on a motive for the deaths of Sara Bermudez, 38, Madison, 8, James, 6, and Michael, 2, has been announced by investigators.
Residents of West Brookfield told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette that speculation over the crime has left the town on edge.
Longtime town resident Denise Smith told the newspaper she now locks the doors of her home whenever she’s alone and won’t hesitate to call the police if she sees “anybody that doesn’t look right.”
“The unknown is what’s scary,” she said. “You know, it’s one thing if they say, ‘Well, it was a family member,’ or you know, whatever. But I mean, when you don’t know, is there somebody still out there? And if there is, what’s their motive and where could they be? So yeah, it’s very scary.”
A funeral for Bermudez and her three children was held last week, with the community rallying to raise more than $17,000 to help defray the costs of the burial.
According to the Gazette, business owners in surrounding towns and as far away as Belchertown are being asked to share video recordings from their stores with authorities investigating the murders.
Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. asked for the public’s help in early March locating a yellow fuel can, typically used to store diesel, which he said was believed to be missing from the Bermudez’s home on Old Warren Road after the murders.
Read the full report at the Gazette.
