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Officers from the Fairfax County Police Department were called on Friday, Feb. 24 to the 13200 block of Stable Brook Way in Reston, where a 911 caller advised that a man had been shot and a woman stabbed inside the home.
The investigation determined that shortly after 8 a.m. on the violent morning, officers received a 911 call where a woman stated her friend was hurt, officials said. A man then got on the line and stated he shot an unknown man who entered his home and stabbed a woman.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said that patrol officers responded to the single-family home, where they found Springfield resident Joseph Ryan, 39, who died from a gunshot wound, and Christine Banfield, 37, of Herndon, who had suffered a stab wound to the upper body, but was still alive.
Banfield was rushed to an area hospital, where she was later pronounced dead from her injuries. Ryan was declared dead at the scene by first responders.
A 4-year-old girl was also in the home at the time of the murder, according to Davis.
The chief said that there are “different relationships between the four inside the home,” though he wouldn’t specify how they were all known to each other, citing pending next of kin notifications for the victims.
He made note that none of the parties involved were known to law enforcement, and there was no sign of a home invasion or break-in.
All parties have been accounted for and there is no apparent ongoing threat to the community, officials said. Detectives are still conducting interviews and processing evidence to determine the relationship between everyone involved and the events leading up to the murders.
The bodies have since been transported to the Chief Medical Examiner to conduct autopsies to determine the exact manner of death for both victims.
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