(WSVN) - A man who fathered a child with his biological daughter is dead, suspected of killing the woman, their infant son and the woman’s adoptive father before taking his own life.
The body of 45-year-old Steven Pladl was found in minivan on a New York highway Thursday morning, dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
His wife and biological daughter, 20-year-old Katie Pladl, was found dead a few miles away in Connecticut, along with the body of her adoptive father. The two had both been shot and killed in a vehicle.
The couple’s 7-month-old son Bennett was found dead in their North Carolina home, in what authorities said was a suspected homicide.
The couple made headlines for their incestuous relationship, and were wanted by police in Virginia. They had been charged with incest, adultery and contributing to delinquency after investigators discovered they had a child together.
Katie had been put up for adoption shortly after she was born, but decided to look up her birth parents on social media after she turned 18. She moved into her father’s home, and the two soon began a sexual relationship. Steven left his wife to marry his daughter.
Police have not yet determined the series of events that led to the four deaths.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.