Bodies found at Phoenix home were victims of murder-suicide

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — The Phoenix Police Department confirmed on Thursday the three people found dead earlier this week in their home near South Mountain were victims of a murder-suicide, and the woman was pregnant. Phoenix Police Sgt. Brian Bower said 27-year-old Jacob De Zeeuw shot and killed 37-year-old Sarah Scott and 6-year-old Jacob De Zeeuw, Jr. near 16th Street and Dobbins Road. Scott was four months pregnant and her unborn child also died. De Zeeuw then took his own life. Bower said Jacob De Zeeuw, Jr. wasn’t related to Scott.

Officers were called out to the home just before 11 a.m. on Tuesday. They found two victims, Jacob De Zeeuw, Jr. and one of the adults in the backyard. The other adult was found inside the house. Bower didn’t say which adult was found where.

Jay Pages co-owns the gym De Zeeuw and Scott trained at for years. He says he’s shocked and angry at the news. “I wouldn’t have dreamed in a million years that this would be a possibility,” he said.

Pages knew De Zeeuw for roughly eight years and Sarah for about two years. He said he hadn’t seen them at his jiu-jitsu gym since last year. However, Pages said they seemed happy the last time he saw them together. “Sarah, she was very sweet. Very sweet. And she was always happy. Jake, same thing. He was always one of my strongest competitors,” Pages said.

He says hearing that De Zeeuw reportedly shot his son and Scott has shaken up the jiu-jitsu community. “If there was an issue, I wish she would have reached out. I wish we knew. Maybe we could have stepped in, maybe we could have helped either one of them,” he said.

Despite so many questions, Pages says he still loves the three. “I miss them so much. It’s unbearable right now for all of us. We’re just trying to go day-by-day,” he said.

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