Suspect in PA Mass Shooting Found Dead After Manhunt

The body of the primary suspect in a mass shooting in Pennsylvania that left six people dead was found in woods less than a mile from the shooter's home.

The New York Times reports that local SWAT units discovered the body of 35-year-old Bradley W. Stone around 1:30 p.m. local time, ending a manhunt that lasted more than 24 hours.

Stone's six victims were all known to him through familial relations and were found at three different locations. The first victims, the mother and grandmother of Stone's ex-wife, were found dead in their Lansdale, PA home around 4:25 a.m. the morning of Dec. 15.

Stone went to his ex-wife's house in Lower Salford Township and killed her. The two had been in the midst of a fierce custody battle for their children in the wake of their divorce in 2009, according to the Times.

The Times notes that on Dec. 5, ten days before the shooting spree, Stone filed an emergency petition to regain custody of his two daughters. The status of that petition was not known.

Stone took his two young daughters to a neighbor to be babysat before embarking on his killing spree.

Stone also targeted his wife's sister and her family, killing the sister, her husband, and their 14-year-old daughter. Their 17-year-old son was seriously wounded in the shooting, but is expected to survive.

After the killings and making his way into the woods near his house, Stone committed suicide with a knife, according to the Times.

Stone was a veteran of the Iraq war, where he served for several months in 2008. He was discharged from the Marine reserve unit in which he served in 2011 without incident.

This is the second major manhunt in the eastern PA region. The other incident was a nearly two month long effort to capture Eric Frein, who ambushed two state troopers, killing one and injuring the other.