Victims' family shocked by deaths of mother, 2 sons in Fairfax County apparent murder-suicide

DULLES, Va. - A Virginia woman is at the center of family tragedy after her family said she shot and killed her two children and then turned the gun on herself.

Fairfax County police are now trying to figure out what led up to this apparent murder-suicide.

FOX 5 spoke with Noera Ayaz's brother Thursday night after he arrived at Dulles International Airport. Yasir Ayaz flew in to be here for his other family members arriving at the airport as well. He said his family is shocked by the loss of his younger sister and her two boys.

Yasir described Noera as a loving mother and an extremely accomplished woman. She had a biomedical engineering degree from Brown University and a law degree from Columbia. He said her sons were about 10 and 11 years old.

On Wednesday, the homeowner, who is also believed to be Noera's husband and father of the two children, arrived at their home on Safa Street in Herndon just after 6 p.m. and found his sons shot. He called 911 and the responding officers found the Noera's body upstairs with what appeared to be self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police are calling this an apparent murder-suicide.

Noera's brother said their family is baffled about the tragic incident. Yasir said she loved helping people, including domestic violence victims and refugees. He said he did not see any signs of any problems with Noera.

"No, absolutely not," said Yasir. "She's a very smart woman. She loved to help people, take care of people. Immigration, patents, helping people with immigration issues. Noera was a loving and caring woman. My nephews were great kids."

Yasir said they grew up in New York. After moving to Herndon, Noera and her family became active with the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) mosque. A spokesperson told FOX 5 that their thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this horrific tragedy.