Investigators believe the ex-wife of a prominent Atlanta surgeon and civic leader shot and killed their two children before turning the gun on herself.
Dr. Christopher Edwards, the chairman of the Atlanta Housing Authority board, learned of the deaths Wednesday evening, a spokesman for the family told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Their bodies were found inside his ex-wife’s upscale Vinings townhouse during a welfare check.
The victims were identified by Cobb County police as 24-year-old Christopher Edwards Jr. and 20-year-old Erin Edwards. Dr. Marsha Edwards, 58, was identified as the suspect in their deaths.
“Dr. Edwards, his extended family and friends are in a state of grief and shock, and privacy of the family is paramount as arrangements are being made,” spokesman Jeff Dickerson said in an emailed statement.
![[IMG]](https://i0.wp.com/www.ajc.com/rf/image_md/Pub/p10/AJC/2019/08/22/Images/082219_cobb%20bodies.JPEG?w=640&ssl=1 "Click this image to show the full-size version.")
The bodies of the Edwards family were found Wednesday evening by Cobb County police while performing a welfare check at their Vinings townhouse. Photo: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Cobb County police made their way inside the home on Nobility Way around 6 p.m. Wednesday. The gated townhouse community, Vinings Parc East, is about a mile from Cumberland Mall.
It is unclear when the shootings took place.
“Per investigators, evidence at the scene indicated that two victims were deceased due to gunshot wounds,” police spokeswoman Officer Sydney Melton said. “The suspect was also deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
Dr. Christopher Edwards, an orthopedic surgeon, serves on the board of trustees of the Morehouse School of Medicine and formerly served on the board of Grady Memorial Hospital. His son was the social media manager for the Atlanta film and entertainment office, according to his LinkedIn page.
Erin Edwards, a graduate of Woodward Academy, was a student at Boston University. She was coming off a summer internship with an NBC station in New York.
Police have not released any further information about the apparent double murder-suicide, citing an ongoing investigation. Just two days before their deaths, photos on social media showed what appeared to be a happy mother-daughter trip to Italy.
![[IMG]](https://i0.wp.com/www.ajc.com/rf/image_md/Pub/p10/AJC/2019/08/22/Images/italy.jpg?w=640&ssl=1 "Click this image to show the full-size version.")
Marsha Edwards and Erin Edwards smile in a photo dated Aug. 19, 2019, after a tour of the Vatican. The photo was one of many shared to Marsha’s Facebook page after a recent mother-daughter trip to Italy. Photo: Marsha Edwards’ Facebook Page