FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Authorities are urgently searching for a woman they say killed three of her roommates in Spotsylvania County. But the grandmother of the alleged suspect also worries her granddaughter is a danger to herself.
On Tuesday, at 10 p.m., deputies responded to a home on White Street Court in Fredericksburg, Virginia to conduct a welfare check. Two men and a woman were found dead in the house. They were identified as Robert McGuire, 77, Gregory Powell, 60, and Carol Reese, 65.
Police say the woman responsible is 23-year-old Alyssa Jane Venable of Spotsylvania, who was living with the three people killed.
Deputies were called to the home originally to conduct a welfare check on Venable after a friend raised concerns about her strange behavior and odd comments.
What led up to the incident and motive are unknown.
"I pray that the authorities are looking for her as a person who is in harm's way as well because we think she's in harm's way if not from someone else but from her own self," Alyssa Venable's grandmother, Jane Venable, told WUSA9. "I'm pleading for the authorities to consider someone who is also is in desperate need for help."
Alyssa Venable is wanted on three counts of second-degree murder and using a gun while committing a felony. Police say she was charged with assault and battery over an altercation at a McDonald's she worked at just last month.
"If something was wrong, she'd snap at you quick," her former co-worker Bianca Smith told WUSA9. "I feel like she was in an irritated mood all the time."
While Jane Venable said her granddaughter was never a saint, she also said she wasn't violent. She's pleading for Alyssa to reach out.
"Just try to get us a message that you're still out there," she said. "Let us find you."
The investigation into these murders is active and ongoing.
Police say certain details are being withheld at this time as to not interfere with the investigation. Anyone with information on Venable's whereabouts is asked to call 911 immediately.
READ NEXT:
WATCH NEXT:
Do you have a news tip on this story or any other story? We want to hear from you. Tell us about it by emailing newstips@wusa9.com.
MORE WAYS TO GET WUSA9
DOWNLOAD THE WUSA9 APP
Apple App Store: WUSA9 News on Apple
Google Play Store: WUSA9 News on Android
HOW TO ADD THE FREE WUSA9+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WUSA9.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "WUSA9" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE WUSA9 NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to our daily WUSA9 Newsletter for top stories from WUSA9 curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Commanders content, weather, and more delivered right to your inbox.