Daphne murder-suicide: Family of 4, including 2 children, found dead

Published On: August 15, 2025

Authorities are looking into a murder-suicide that occurred at a house near Daphne early on Thursday, killing two children. The Baldwin County sheriff called the situation “tragic as it comes.”

The murder took place in a residence on Sable Court, a peaceful community off of Milton Jones Road and Alabama State Route 181 near Daphne, sometime in the early morning.

Kenneth O. Neil Smith Jr., 44, has already been confirmed as the shooter. Larrica Gaines Smith, 41; Khristian Smith, 15; and Kinsley Smith, 11 are the victims’ names.

An complete family of four was found dead from gunshot wounds after officials entered the house after receiving a complaint at approximately 3:20 a.m., according to Baldwin County Sheriff Anthony Lowery.

According to Lowery, the two kids go to two different Daphne public schools. On Thursday, counselors visited the school to talk with staff and children.

He claimed that while police looked into the incident, the kids’ cell phones were ringing.

Lowery remarked, “You know that was their friends.” I have 29 years of experience in this field. I’ve only had to work a case where the entire family was murdered twice. This appears to have developed from a domestic problem of some kind. It’s the most sad thing that exists.

Earlier this morning, Lowery ruled out the possibility that the incident was anything other than a murder-suicide.

Lowery stated, “We will definitely approach this as we would any other homicide investigation.” There’s no reason to think that anything transpired outside of the residence.

He claimed that the neighborhood is unhappy about the killings.

“The neighbors are in a lot of pain,” he stated. It’s a peaceful neighborhood. They take pride in their residence.