Around 3:10 p.m. on Friday, September 18 four bodies were found in a home on First Avenue in Farmville, Virginia. According to an article from the Richmond Times Dispatch the incident is being investigated as a quadruple homicide.The Richmond Times Dispatch reported that Mark Niederbrock has been the only victim identified and released by Farmville police. Dr. Debra Kelley and Emma Niederbrock Melanie Wells have been idetified by friends and associates.
The suspect, 20-year-old Richard Alden Samuel McCroskey III was arrested at 11:40 a.m. Saturday at Richmond International Airport. McCroskey is from California.
Farmville police have confirmed that McCroskey stole a car belonging to Mark Niederbrock, pastor at Walker's Presbyterian Church in the Hixburg area of Appomattox Count.
In that article Prince Edward County Commonwealth's Attorney James R. Ennis confirmed that the bodies were found about 3:10 p.m. in the home at 505 First Ave. According to whitepages.com the house is the home of Debra Kelley, Professor of Sociology at Longwood.
By the time the bodies were found they had been so badly decomposed they will have to be identified by dental records. Farmville police say the identities of the victims will not be relieved until Monday.
The suspect made a call to confess he had just killed the victims and the individual he called contacted McCroskey's label. A link to the record label's press release is linked as "McCroskey's Record Label"
Kelley is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice Studies, and has taught at Longwood since 1994. Shey had been on education leave and is expected to leave at the end of the semester permanently. She has one daughter but no other information has been released.
McCroskey and Kelley's daughter allegedly had an romantic relationship that started over the internet.
Ennis said McCroskey is charged with murder, robbery and grand larceny.
Tim Pierson, Vice President for Student Affairs at Longwood, sent an email to the campus community. In that email he explained the deceased have not yet been identified by the Medical Examiner's office and that Longwood is awaiting confirmation of their identity.
In a more recent email, Tim Pierson said, "The Longwood University web page will post news updates as this story evolves. Please note, the Longwood University emergency alert system was not activated since this was an off-campus crime and initial reports indicated that the crime had occurred several days ago due to the decomposition of the bodies. The incident did not pose any verifiable or immediate threat to the campus community and the emergency alert system is only activated in the event of an emergency. "
The Longwood Police Department reminds students to stay alert and report any suspicious activity to the campus police at 395.2091 or call 911.
