Woman, toddler daughter fatally shot, father found dead near river bank

FRANKLIN, N.H. (AP) - A man fatally shot a woman, their 18-month-old daughter, and wounded another child before he was found dead hours later of an apparent suicide on the bank of the Merrimack River, the New Hampshire attorney general’s office said.

The man, Jamie Bell, 42, was seen fleeing a home in Franklin on Saturday afternoon, Assistant Attorney General Adam Woods said during an evening news conference. Neighbors said they had heard gunshots.

Police arrived at the home to find Nicole Hughes, 35, and Ariella Bell, her daughter with Jamie Bell, shot to death, Woods said.

Woods said Hughes and Jamie Bell were “intimate partners.” He provided no further details on their relationship.

Hughes’ 5-year-old daughter from another relationship had a gunshot wound to her arm and a cut on her back, Woods said. She was taken to a hospital in Massachusetts. Her injuries were not considered to be life-threatening.

Police spent several hours searching for Bell, first identified as a person of interest, on foot and by helicopter. The attorney general’s office had said he was armed and dangerous.

Autopsies on Bell, Hughes, and their daughter were scheduled for Sunday.