Girl becomes orphan after dad kills mum and then himself in tragic murder-suicide

A girl has become an orphan after her father killed her mother - and then shot himself dead in an apparent murder-suicide.

The teenager reportedly came home near Houston, Texas to find her 48-year-old mother and a 47-year-old father lifeless. She called police on Sunday night who declared both the man and the woman dead, and early investigations suggest this was a murder-suicide.

Family members have allegedly told police the couple had been experiencing marital difficulties for some time and had considered having a divorce. Neither of the couple's names have as yet been made public, pending the completion of an autopsy, authorities told reporters today.

A large crime scene, the family home is nestled in an upper-middle class neighborhood in Katy, an affluent city west of Houston, with tree-lined streets. The tragedy there follows a similar case in Madbury, New Hampshire, which saw a toddler left an orphan following the deaths of his parents and siblings.

READ MORE: Murder-suicide mum was 'at risk of losing home' before shooting terminally ill husband and kids

READ MORE: Toddler becomes orphan after 'perfect family' wiped out by quadruple murder-suicide

ABC13 reports the girl in Katy, Texas, was not harmed in the incident. It is understood she did not witness the shootings, which happened at around 10pm on Sunday. No one else was home at the time of the incident, reports Fox 26 today.

Family members are expected to be interviewed Monday, the sheriff's office added. Authorities stated they had never been called to the house for previous reports of family violence.

In the New Hampshire case last month, a gun was found near the bodies of parents Emily and Ryan Long. Neighbours expressed their shock, describing the Longs as "a perfect family". It is believed the deaths were as a result of murder-suicide following 48-year-old Ryan's brain cancer diagnosis.

Bevy Ketel, a neighbour, said: "It was a perfect family as far as we knew. [Ryan] certainly touched a lot of lives. He was part of the fabric of the community and his family goes along with it... It's just shocking. We didn't see it coming."

Emily, 34, recently posted on social media about her husband's cancer journey, CBS affiliate WBZ-TV reports. Her TikTok page showed a collection of videos, in which she spoke to camera about her family navigating the glioblastoma diagnosis.

The caption beside a poignant video on May 11 reads: "Want to watch someone actually fall apart before your very eyes? I swear, this cancer will be the thing that breaks me."

The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.