2 dead after shooting, stabbing inside Fairfax County home: police
Herndon double homicide under investigation
More than 12 hours after two people were mysteriously killed inside a Herndon home, there's a very active police scene in the neighborhood. A woman was stabbed to death and a man was shot and killed. The woman's husband who talked to 911 operators was inside the home at the time. FOX 5's Adrienne DiPiazza reports from Fairfax County with the latest from police.
HERNDON, Va. - The Fairfax County Police Department is investigating a double homicide in a Herndon home Friday morning.
At a press conference, Police Chief Kevin Davis said a 911 call came in just before 8:00 a.m. from a home in the 13200 block of Stable Brook Way, but the caller hung up.
A second 911 call came in 13 minutes later; both the homeowner and the family's au pair were on the line.
According to Davis, the calls were both placed from a cellphone. During the second call, police said that two people reported a shooting inside the house.
A woman believed to be the au pair first stated her friend was hurt, before the man, who was husband of the household, got on the line and stated he shot an unknown man who entered his home and stabbed his wife.
Police said, once at the scene, officers found a woman suffering from stab wounds in an upstairs bedroom of the home, and a man suffering from gunshot wounds nearby the woman.
The man died at the scene and the woman was pronounced dead a short time later.
2 dead after shooting, stabbing inside Fairfax County home: police
At a press conference, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said that they received a 911 call and responded to the home. There they found a woman suffering from stab wounds and a man suffering from gunshot wounds. The man died at the scene and the woman was pronounced dead a short time later.
The woman, according to police, was the husband's wife, while the man who died was a non-resident of the home, identified as Joseph Nathan Ryan, 39.
Police identified the woman as Christine Banfield, 37, of Herndon.
Davis said a 4-year-old girl was also in the home when they arrived. The child is now safe with police, Davis said.
The husband refused to speak with Fairfax County Police, according to Davis. He added that the au pair is currently cooperating with investigators.
"We know what our 911 caller, the husband, told us but we have a lot of work to do to substantiate that claim or to otherwise identify the person responsible for that crime," Chief Davis said.
Police did not indicate why Ryan was inside the home during the incident but added there were no signs of forced entry in the home.
"We are characterizing the husband and the au pair for now as present and involved," Davis said.
An investigation continues into what led up to the shooting.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 703-246-7800.
This is a developing story. Stay with us for updates.