Robert Vicosa, his daughters Aaminah (6) and Gianna (7), and Sgt Tia Bynum were found dead in Smithsburg on Thursday, four days after Vicosa abducted the little girls from their family home in Pennsylvania. Reports say that Sgt Bynum was aiding him in his escape.
Vicosa Was Spotted and Pursued by the Pennsylvania State Patrol
Vicosa, a former police officer in Baltimore County, was on the run since Monday after assaulting his estranged wife at the home of the family in Pennsylvania and fleeing with their daughters.
On Thursday afternoon, the Pennsylvania state patrol spotted the car Vicosa had hijacked earlier and began a pursuit.
The vehicle was reported fleeing south on Ringgold Pike at the Maryland-Pennsylvania Line, where there were roadblocks and Maryland police officers waiting. Near Smithsburg, MD, Vicosa’s SUV ran off the road and into a fence line, and the police surrounded the vehicle.
The Police Found Two Adults and Two Children With Gunshots Wounds When They Opened the Doors
Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo said that state troopers and crisis negotiators were unable to make contact with anyone in the vehicle. They couldn’t make out what was happening inside the SUV because of the thick layer of smoke inside. Around 2:30 p.m., they decided to open the passenger-side door and found a female driver and a man and two children in the back, all with gunshot wounds.
The two adults and one of the children were pronounced dead on sight. One of the little girls was transported to the hospital, but unfortunately, she was pronounced DOA.
Statistics say that child abduction by parents is not uncommon. For example, in 2015, 0.7% of child kidnapping cases were reported as family abductions.
Unfortunately, this tragedy is just one of many in Maryland, where 75% of all murders are committed with a handgun.
