WABASH, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - A suspected murder-suicide in Wabash Monday evening shows the struggle young witnesses can face.
"One of the boys told the officer what he saw. It certainly traumatizes them," said Detective Jim Kirk of the Wabash Police Department.
Kirk was one of the officers who responded to a suspected murder suicide on Courtland Avenue Monday evening. That's where police say 30-year old Ryan Hunt shot and killed 27-year old Jennifer Parrett in her car before taking his own life.
A neighbor witnessed the incident, and so did Parrett's two boys, ages three and four. The two were in the backseat of the car when their mother was killed.
Police say they tried not to ask too many questions of the boys. A mental health expert in Fort Wayne says that's a good idea in situations like this.
Child psychologist Dr. Steven Ross says young brains are not wired to process such a grisly scene.
"It's so overwhelming to them that they go into a state of shock. They just don't know how to handle something as severe as that."
Though it may be tempting to ask young witnesses what they saw, Ross says bringing it up constantly can do more harm than good, and that mental health professionals and grief counselors can help children through such a difficult stage in their lives.
That's where organizations like Erin's House come in.
"We help children who are grieving the death of a loved one," explained Executive Director Debra Meyer. "When children lose a mom or a dad, it's a very traumatic situation, and so to actually witness this type of violent death is just horrible for those two little boys."
The Fort Wayne-based group has been helping grieving children and their families for 16 years. It is the only child-centered grief center in Northeast Indiana. Services are offered at no cost and are centered around peer-support groups. The atmosphere is positive and welcoming.
"This is a happy place. A lot of the tears we have here are children not wanting to leave Erin's House," said Program Director Cindy Maldonado-Schaefer.
Staff offer support and guidance as children navigate the whirlwind of emotion surrounding the death of their loved ones. Peer support groups and overnight weekend camps show children they are not alone during their time of grief.
The volcano room is a unique tool that children at Erin's House have come to love.
Brightly-painted walls lined with padding surround a soft floor covered in ripped-up telephone books and pillows. The result of the venting process.
"If these kids don't let their grief out, they're going to keep it in and keep it in, squish it down and squish it down. Eventually it's going to come out," explained Maldonado-Schaefer.
Negative effects of grief can include truancy in school, inability to form significant relationships and drug and alcohol abuse. But grief counseling and other forms of therapy can help these children through their time of need.
"Life is going to be different for them," says Dr. Ross. "But we're not going to keep them stuck in this somber, dysphoric mood. We're going to help them move on. They won't forget their mother or father, they'll have pictures. But we're going to help them move on."
As for the two boys in Wabash, police say they are safe with relatives.
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