FENNVILLE, Mich. — The Allegan County Sheriff's Office says the woman who was shot and killed along with her two children this weekend was in the process of packing up to leave.
Deputies believe a 34-year-old man from Fennville shot and killed his family Saturday afternoon, before turning the gun on himself.
Police say 35-year-old Cindy Clouse and her two daughters were shot and killed by Kyle Hagger in their Lee Township home.
"In fact, from our investigation at the scene, it actually looked like she had been in the process of packing. And, unfortunately, the tragedy occurred," Allegan County Sheriff Frank Baker said.
Clouse's friend, Mallory Ruff, identified Hagger as Clouse's husband, and the 10-and-13-year-old girls as Mackenzie and Autumn.
The girls attended Fennville Public Schools.
Superintendent Jim Greydanus sent this letter to parents Monday:
Dear West Michigan Community, Once again, the Fennville community is experiencing the love and care of our greater community as we grieve the loss of students.
The staff, students, and community of Fennville Public Schools are deeply saddened by the death of Autumn and Mackenzie Hagger on January 7. As our staff have reflected on their memories of both precious girls, they describe them as kind, responsible, friendly, smiling, always doing the right thing, and truly remarkable students.
In response to this tragedy, Fennville has enlisted the support of grief counselors from Allegan Area ESA, Van Buren ISD, OnPoint, Health West, Allegan and Van Buren Victim Services Units, and other local agencies to support our students and staff. We are grateful for the incredible support of our school community. In addition to holding a meeting with staff on Sunday afternoon, the district opened its doors to students and families to meet with counselors, social workers, and local clergy.
For Monday when students returned to school, age-appropriate grief counseling and support were made available by a team of professionals trained to serve in these difficult situations. Follow-up support will continue to be available in the coming days and weeks for our students and staff.
As a community our hearts go out to the family and friends most closely affected by this loss.
Sincerely, Jim Greydanus Superintendent
A family member organized a GoFundMe to help raise money for funeral arraignments.
At the time this story was published, the fundraiser had reached more than $11,000.
"(Clouse) was just a loving person and she loved her kids and they were her world," Ruff says.
"We have kids that are the same age. In fact, my oldest was forming a friendship with her oldest. I think our eldest are about a month apart. And then our youngest's are maybe a year or two apart. But still, there was that. So we would you know, swap stories about our preteens or teens, and the pros and the cons about it. Or we talk about our married life or how our long hours affected our lives, just different things that we would relate to."
The Allegan County Sheriff's Office is urging anyone with more information on this case to reach out to them or Silent Observer.
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