Father Arrested In Quadruple Murder, Including His 4-Year-Old Twins

On Friday morning, a mother and her three children were discovered fatally shot in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

Authorities say that JoAnna Cottle, 39, Kaelyn Parson, 13, and Kinsey and Jayson Cottle, 4, were shot to death inside of their residence on Laurel Oak Road.

Hours following that, 35-year-old Jonah Adams was apprehended in Waldorf, Maryland, in relation to the shooting. Authorities say that he is the father of the two younger children who are twins.

Officials are now trying to determine a motive for the killings.

Sources have noted that a previous restraining order had been put into place in relation to the former couple. There also seems to have been some sort of conflict regarding the 4-year-old twins.

Around 5 a.m. on Friday morning, Cottle had contacted authorities to report that an intruder was outside of her residence. Dispatchers heard gunfire, and authorities had made entry into the home shortly after that.

After reviewing the family history, Adams quickly became a suspect. When surveillance was conducted near his residence in Maryland, he was captured about nine hours later.

Adams has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder.