By Daniella Silva -
NBC News
A Pennsylvania family found shot to death in their backyard on January 25, in what police say appears to be a suicide pact, included a bowling mother and daughter who were conservative Christians, reported people who knew them.
Morgan Daub, 26;
and her parents, James Daub, 62, and Deborah Daub, 59, were found in the backyard of their home in York County, Pennsylvania, after police responded to a neighbor's request to check on her well-being. .
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The West Manchester Township Police Department has since said notes left inside the home indicate
the family recently made a "joint decision" to end their lives.
Police believe that Deborah Daub shot and killed her husband and that Morgan, who died by suicide, shot and killed her mother.
Police said there were no signs of a struggle or forced entry and no evidence to suggest anyone else was present.
The investigation was closed.
A photo of Morgan Daub, according to police. Suburban Bowlerama / via Facebook
People who knew them say they are shocked and heartbroken by their deaths.
Morgan was shy, quiet, and very close to her mother.
She was also a talented and avid bowler until she and her mother stopped visiting lanes and shops around the start of the pandemic, according to members of the local bowling community.
“Morgan barely spoke,” explained Bret Stabley, manager of the Bowlers Supply store in York, Pennsylvania, where the mother and daughter were longtime customers.
Stabley said he believed Morgan, whom he described as "very docile and quiet" but also "very bright," had been educated at home and that
her mother used to speak for her.
Stabley said he taught the young woman bowling lessons over the years, and that she became more social as she got older.
She was also "a very good player," she added.
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The family, Christian and conservative, "was never shy about making their beliefs known" in matters of religion and politics, he said.
Morgan and Deborah were "very, very strong" supporters of former President Donald Trump, Stabley said.
“They were so hell-bent on Trump winning, like it could be the end if he didn't,” she
recalled, referring to a time she ran into them before the 2020 election. She would never see them again.
A neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of personal or professional reprisals in his town, stated that the family
remained “concerned about religion, especially the father
”.
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The front yard of her home was “strewn” with pro-Trump political signs during the election, and anti-abortion signs when Roe v.
Wade, he said.
Terry Miller, owner of Suburban Bowlerama, said that Morgan and Deborah came to his establishment a couple of times a week.
"She grew up here," he said of the young woman.
"To me, watching their interactions, she enjoyed it, they seemed to spend a lot of time together," he said.
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But Morgan and Deborah suddenly stopped going bowling around 2019, Miller noted.
Looking back on it, she said, it
was "definitely, definitely strange" that they both stopped going.
Stabley said he was disturbed to see recent videos on YouTube featuring Morgan.
In the clips, which the West Manchester Township Police Department confirmed appear to be of Morgan,
the young woman talks incoherently about God, the Antichrist and conspiracies about Trump and the 2020 election
.
Stabley claimed that he is tormented by the young woman's laughter in the videos.
"I have never, ever, ever seen Morgan in that state," he added.
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Detective Timothy Fink told NBC News, the sister network of Noticias Telemundo, on Friday that Deborah Daub left a written document, signed on January 19, in which she "talks about a joint decision" by her and her daughter to end their lives.
It refers to the "evil that has befallen Morgan," but does not go into further detail
, Fink said.
Morgan and his father also wrote notes indicating that the family planned how they were going to shoot each other and made other preparations, such as what to do with the family dog and family assets.
The documents are dated January 24, the day before the family was found.
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The position of the bodies, the two pistols found in the place, the casings and other evidence
"corroborate the version set forth by the written documents left by the family"
, which say that "the three decided to end their lives on 1/24/ 2023,” police explained.
Meanwhile, his neighbor said he is "shocked and can't believe" that something happened "so close to home."
“When I did interact with them in person, they kept it a secret,” he said.
"I didn't see it show at all."
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to contact the Suicide and Crisis Helpline. You can also contact the network, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, by calling 800-273-8255, texting HOME to 741741, or visiting
SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources
for more resources.