Community grieving after murder-suicide

DE PERE - The search is still on for answers following Friday's triple murder-suicide in De Pere.

The makeshift memorial on Erie Street in De Pere continues to grow outside the Bay family's home, near the crime scene.

Police say Denis Bay, 46, shot and killed his wife, Michelle, 44, the couple's 14-year-old daughter Andrea and 10-year-old son Daniel, before turning the gun on himself.

Autopsies confirm the wife and children died from multiple gunshots. Huehns Funeral Home in Sturgeon Bay is handling the arrangements. Those details have yet to be finalized.

De Pere Police Chief Derek Beiderwieden says his officers responded as quickly as they could Friday afternoon. Just before 3 p.m., they received a 911 call from Denis Bay. The chief says Bay told dispatchers he shot his wife and two children, and was about to shoot himself.

"Officers responded and arrived at about the same time the dispatcher had heard a pop in the background. Denis had put the phone down, and then they heard a pop," said Beiderwieden.

The chief says within a few minutes, the police secured the scene. He says a sweep of the house led them to discover the four bodies in the bedrooms.

Beiderwieden says the children were taken out of school early on Friday. However, he says it's unclear which parent picked them up. Beiderwieden also did not know what time they left. De Pere school officials would not release that information.

The school district says counselors were on hand Monday at both De Pere High School and at Heritage Elementary, the two schools the victims attended.

"I think it's important in these situations to assure the children, especially younger children, that they're safe, especially with the circumstances of this particular event," said director of pupil services Robert Lennon.

Those grieving the loss say they just want to know why it happened. The De Pere police chief says Denis Bay did not leave a note behind.

"Pending divorce, out of work, bills piling up, I don't know. There may have been those kinds of things and then some trigger and some reaction," said Beiderwieden.

Golden House in Green Bay says it has counselors who handle domestic issues. They say the Bays' contested divorce may have played a factor in the shooting. But, the director says those circumstances are not the root cause of violent acts.

"If the relationship is based on the power and control of one partner, we do see that life stresses escalate this level of violence," said executive director Karen Faulkner.

Now the community is left to wonder, and to grieve the loss of the entire Bay family.

The De Pere Police Department and Golden House say if you're going through trouble in your marriage and family life, there are resources in the community where you can find confidential help. You can call the Golden House 24-hour tip line at (920) 432-4244 if you need help, or visit www.goldenhousegb.org.