Thursday, September 27, 2012
Floris United Methodist Church holds candlelight vigil Wednesday for four Herndon residents found dead this week.
Floris United Methodist Church was filled Wednesday evening with area students from Rachel Carson Middle School and Westfield High School as the community mourned the loss of the Peterson family. The Petersons, father and mother Albert and Kathleen and sons Matthew and Christopher, were found dead in their home Tuesday afternoon in what police have determined was a murder-suicide. “We’re here for a prayer vigil,” FUMC Rev. Tom Berlin said. “We’re not here for a memorial service. We’re not here to figure everything out.” For those who came to the vigil — many of whom were students, wearing Westfield's signature black and yellow, sports gear or clothing bearing messages like "Rest in Peace" — it was hard to make sense of what happened to a …
Candlelight vigil for the Petersons — found dead Tuesday — draws hundreds of community members and friends to Floris United Methodist Church.
Hundreds of people from across the Herndon area gathered Wednesday at Floris United Methodist Church to mourn the loss of the Peterson family. The family's four members were found dead at their Point Rider Lane home Tuesday after an apparent murder-suicide, police say. Albert Peterson, 57, Kathleen Peterson, 52, and their children, Matthew, 16, and Christopher, 13, were remembered by those gathered for a candle light vigil Wednesday night, many of them students from Rachel Carson Middle School and Westfield High School, where the teens attended classes. FUMC Rev. Tom Berlin said it is during times of tragedy that communities come together and see how connected they truly are. “We’re going to come tonight and we’re going to pray,” he said…
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Westfield High, Carson Middle school counselors in place for students grieving loss of two Herndon boys killed in a murder-suicide Tuesday.
UPDATE - 9/26, 6:30 p.m.: Principals at both Carson Middle School and Westfield High School have released new statements to families after police released the identity of the Peterson family on Wednesday afternoon. Their full statements are posted below: --- Dear Carson Community, It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of a member of our school community, Chris Peterson, an eighth grade student. Matthew Peterson, a past Carson student who was a sophomore at Westfield, also lost his life in this tragic event. A sudden loss like this can have an effect on students. For that reason, we hope that you will listen to your son or daughter as well as discuss with them their feelings and reactions to this tragedy. Crisis …
Husband kills sons and wife before turning gun on himself in Point Rider Lane home, police say.
The family of four found dead Tuesday inside a home on Point Rider Lane in Herndon was killed in a murder suicide, police said Wednesday. A Fairfax County Police Department investigation revealed Albert Peterson, 57, killed his wife, Kathleen Peterson, 52, and their children, Matthew, 16, and Christopher, 13, before taking his own life. The Virginia Office of the Medical Examiner determined the cause of death for each of the four family members was gunshot wounds to the upper body, according to police. [Follow Herndon Patch on Facebook.] Yesterday neighbors gathered throughout the neighborhood as police and press descended on the property after the initial report. A coworker of one of the adults called the police to ask for a welfare check…
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Candlelight vigil for family found dead Tuesday set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Floris United Methodist Church.
A candlelight vigil will be held Wednesday for the family found dead Tuesday in Herndon. The vigil will take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Floris United Methodist Church, located at 13600 Frying Pan Rd. [Follow Herndon Patch on Facebook.] Rev. Tom Berlin posted on FUMC's blog that the family who lived in the home where the bodies were found were members of the church. He said the sons were enrolled at Rachel Carson Middle School and Westfield High School. Berlin said many community members are experiencing "a great deal of grief over the loss" and the church wants to be there to minister to the needs of the community. "Our desire is to provide a place where our members, friends, and community can gather to express their grief, pray, …
Fairfax County officials believe Tuesday situation was contained within the household; are awaiting autopsy results
Fairfax County police are investigating the death of a family in Herndon as suspicious, the department said in a statement Tuesday night. Police were called out to the home in the 13300 block of Point Rider Lane at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday to do a welfare check on the family after a coworker of one of the adults notified police they hadn’t been to work Monday or Tuesday, police said. [Follow Herndon Patch on Facebook.] Police breached the home at about noon and found the bodies of two adults and two school aged-children, Fairfax County Police Spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell said. The department is awaiting the result of autopsies, being performed by the Office of the Medical Examiner, for more information on the cause and manner of the deaths. …
Thomas
10:53 am on Monday, October 1, 2012
The Funeral Mass for Kathleen, Matthew and Christopher Peterson will take place at St. John Neumann Church in Reston, Va on Thursday, October 4th at 10:00am. Visitation will be Wednesday, October 3rd from 5:00 - 8:00 pm also at the church. more ›