Dad murders two sons, ages 4 and 7, and mom (Van Buren Township, Michigan)

Once again, Mom tried to leave to leave an abusive control freak, so Daddy massacred everybody, just so we all know that Daddy's Not Happy. Not only that, but he killed an unrelated motorist as part of his freaking Daddy Drama.

Notice also that there were clear warning signs that this guy was dangerous, signs that were not heeded.

The killer dad is identified as MICHAEL VANDERLINDEN.

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20120816/NEWS/308160034/Mother-2-children-found-dead-Michigan-home-after-father-killed-Indiana-crash

Mother, 2 children found dead in Michigan home after father killed in Indiana crash

10:04 PM, Aug 16, 2012 AA

Written by Megha Satyanarayana, Eric D. Lawrence, David Jesse and Melanie Scott Dorsey
Detroit Free Press

Inside the well-kept but sparsely decorated house in Van Buren Township, police found the bodies of a mother and two children in their beds on Thursday morning.

The father was also dead some 200 miles away, killed in a head-on crash near Michigan City, Ind.

Police are now investigating what could be a murder-suicide involving Michael Vanderlinden, 39, his wife, Linda Vanderlinden, and their sons, ages 7 and 4.

Authorities said they are still trying to piece together what led up to the deaths. Court records don’t offer any clues, but Van Buren Township police confirmed Michael Vanderlinden overdosed on sleeping pills last November when his wife attempted to leave.

The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office is expected to perform autopsies on the bodies of Linda Vanderlinden and the two boys today.

Michael Vanderlinden, 39, an IT professional, died in a head-on collision at 1:25 a.m. Thursday while driving his Chrysler 300 the wrong way down I-94 near Michigan City. Also killed in the crash was Juan Nelson, 45, of Portage, Ind., who was driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Vanderlinden’s neighbors told police he left home at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Van Buren Police Capt. Greg Laurain said police received a call at 8:30 a.m. Thursday from the coroner’s office in La Porte County, Ind., asking for assistance in notifying Vanderlinden’s next of kin that he had died. When officers arrived at his house in the 6600 block of Anna Drive, near Ecorse and Haggerty roads, no one answered.

The door was unlocked, and officers entered, Laurain said. They found the bodies, with no signs of a struggle and no appearance of a break-in. Police would not confirm the identities of the family on Thursday.

The case is being treated as a homicide, and the husband and father is the main suspect, Laurain said.

“The big question is, ‘who is behind this?’ said Laurain. “That’s hard to answer right now because of the circumstances.”

Officers took a weapon, which Laurain would not specify, and computer equipment from the home.

Neighbors described the family as friendly, but said Michael Vanderlinden was less outgoing than his wife and children and struggled with depression.

Last year, the wife called police after the couple fought and she threatened to leave, Laurain said. He grabbed her, pleaded with her to stay and then took several sleeping pills, police said.

The call was considered domestic violence, although no charges were filed, police said. The husband was taken to the hospital for observation.

La Porte County Coroner John Sullivan said he’s initially ruling the deaths of Michael Vanderlinden and Nelson as accidents. Rescue workers found the men pinned inside the burning wreckage of their cars when they arrived.

Sullivan said both died from fourth-degree burns and blunt force trauma. Laurain said his department has contacted Indiana State Police to learn what evidence, if any, survived the crash.

In the Homestead subdivision where the family lived, neighbors passed the house all day Thursday, talking to each other and police, and stopping in front of the pink brick two-story house with a pool, swing set and vegetable garden. Van Buren Public Schools released a statement Thursday evening, saying the 7-year-old was a gifted and talented program student at Tyler Elementary School. The 4-year-old was to start preschool this fall.