A 58-year-old man and his 21-year-old daughter were found dead inside an apartment in Port Richmond on Aug. 15, 2026. Officers made the discovery after responding to a welfare check in the quiet Philadelphia neighborhood.

Investigators believe the deaths were an incident of murder-suicide; however, the motive behind the murder remains under investigation and has not been disclosed publicly by authorities. Both victims were found suffering from gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Incident Details

Around 1:30 p.m., officers from the Philadelphia Police Department responded to a welfare check at a home in the 2800 block of Mercer Street in Port Richmond. The welfare check was conducted after no one had heard from the residents for a while. Upon their arrival, officers forced their way into the apartment and found the father and daughter lying on the floor, suffering from gunshot wounds. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

According to NBC Philadelphia, officers pronounced both victims dead around 2 p.m., half an hour after their arrival. Investigators suspect the incident was a case of murder-suicide, which was allegedly domestic in nature, according to police.

Inspector D.F. Pace, from the PPD Homicide and Special Investigations, said investigators believe the shooting occurred several days before the bodies were discovered. The father allegedly gunned down the daughter before turning the gun on himself, according to police. Fox 29 reported that officers identified the victims as father and daughter and are investigating the case as a potential domestic murder-suicide.

“Based on what we found, it appears the incident, the shooting itself, may have occurred several days ago,” Pace said.

Inspector Pace also confirmed that the motive for the shooting remains under investigation, describing the case as domestic in nature but offering no further explanation. Officers have also not released the identities of the victims.

“What might have motivated a father to turn the gun on his daughter and then on himself is still under investigation at this time,” Pace said.

Neighbors described the Port Richmond area around Mercer Street as quiet and family-oriented. Residents were shocked following the discovery of the bodies by police. “It is shocking, surprising, very much so. This little nook, this little area right here is very quiet, so very family-oriented,” one of the neighbors said.