DAPHNE, Ala. — A quiet neighborhood in Daphne, Alabama, is reeling after a tragic murder-suicide claimed the lives of an entire family early Thursday morning, August 14, 2025. Authorities say 44-year-old Kenneth O’Neil Smith Jr. fatally shot his wife, 41-year-old Larrica Gaines Smith, and their two children—15-year-old Khristian Smith and 11-year-old Kinsley Smith—before taking his own life.
The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office responded to the home on Sable Court in the Chelcey Place subdivision around 4 a.m. after a concerned family member requested a welfare check. Deputies forced entry into the residence and found all four victims inside, each with fatal gunshot wounds. A 9 mm handgun, believed to be the weapon used in the killings, was recovered at the scene.
Sheriff Anthony Lowery confirmed the case as a murder-suicide, calling the incident “as tragic as it comes.” He added that early information indicates the couple may have been experiencing marital problems and that Larrica was attempting to leave the relationship after 20 years of marriage. “We may never know exactly what was going through his mind,” Lowery said, noting the difficulty in obtaining answers without a surviving suspect.
Neighbors described the Smiths as a church-going, family-oriented household. Many expressed shock, saying the family appeared happy and close-knit. “Just good people,” one neighbor told local media. “It’s unbelievable something like this could happen here.” Another neighbor recalled seeing the children playing in the yard just days earlier.
Khristian was a freshman at Daphne High School, while Kinsley attended Daphne East Elementary. In response to the tragedy, grief counselors have been deployed to both schools to assist students and staff coping with the loss. The Baldwin County School District released a statement offering condolences to the family’s relatives and friends.
Authorities are continuing to investigate, reviewing electronic devices, speaking with relatives, and piecing together the events that led up to the shooting. Sheriff Lowery said the case has deeply affected first responders, many of whom have children of their own.
The incident has left the tight-knit Daphne community mourning the sudden and violent loss of a family that, by all outward appearances, embodied stability and love—until the morning it all came to a devastating end.