BRADENTON, Fla. — Manatee County deputies are investigating what led a mother to kill her two children before taking her own life in a “violent scene” within a luxury gated Lakewood Ranch neighborhood.

Deputies conducted a welfare check around 8:30 p.m. Thursday at a home on within The Lake Club neighborhood after getting a call from a concerned father who was traveling overseas in South America and could not get in touch with his family.

At the home, deputies said they “observed circumstances that prompted them to enter the residence.” The sheriff’s office did not share what these circumstances were, but described the scene as “violent.”

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Randy Warren said deputies entered the home to find a 14-year-old boy, an 11-year-old girl and their 44-year-old mother ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in separate rooms.

“This is a horrible, horrible thing for the deputies to have to witness. Even worse for this father and the husband, who was on his way back from South America, flew in this morning and had to be notified of what happened here,” Warren said. 

The spokesperson said that based on evidence, investigators are confident this was a murder-suicide and that no one else entered the home or left the scene. He also shared that the family had moved to the neighborhood from Missouri about three years ago and that deputies had never been called to the home before.

The medical examiner will determine an official cause of death as the case remains active and ongoing.

“What happened inside this home is something that maybe nobody could have predicted. We really don’t know what led up to that. It’s horrible to even imagine what would have been going through the mind of this mother that led up to this. There was some planning involved, enough to where she knew what she was doing,” Warren said.

Neighbors told 10 Tampa Bay News they were shocked to hear what happened in their quiet, gated neighborhood.

“Total surprise and shock. This neighborhood’s so quiet. Of course, we don’t know any of the facts, I guess. But hearing that happened in your neighborhood is quite shocking,” one neighbor said.

The Lake Club HOA and management issued the following statement to those living in the community:

“We are aware of a tragic incident that occurred within The Lake Club. At this time, the matter remains under investigation by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. We do not have additional information to provide. 

Our hearts are with the family and all those affected during this incredibly difficult time. 

As this is an active investigation and out of respect for those involved, we will not be providing further comment.”