Lancaster police warn of a killer
A couple and their teenage son were slain after their daughter ran out of the house to call 911.
LANCASTER - Police urged residents to take extra precautions after a couple and their teenage son were slain at home shortly after a 911 call from the couple's daughter.
Tom Haines, 50; his wife, Lisa, 47; and their 16-year-old son, Kevin, were killed about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Manheim Township Police Chief Neal Harkins said.
"The daughter, Margaret, was in her bedroom when she heard a disturbance in the home," police said in a statement yesterday. "Lisa Haines told her daughter to get help and Margaret ran out of the house to a neighbor, where the 911 call was made."
Margaret Haines, 20, a college sophomore, is still talking to police about the case and her whereabouts are not being released, police said. Harkins said there was no forced entry and no evidence that anything was taken from the house.
Police said all three were slain, but they declined to say what kind of weapon was used or describe the manner of death. Autopsies were scheduled for today.
"The person or persons responsible for the killings of the Haines family are on the loose," police said, urging residents to lock their doors, have lights on around the home, keep track of family members and remain in touch with neighbors.
Bruce Carr, formerly of Lancaster and now of Tampa, Fla., said he and Tom Haines ran track and cross-country together at Manheim Township High School and were college roommates. He said he was best man at Haines' wedding.
"Tom and Lisa were a real quiet, happy couple," Carr said. "I'm in such shock right now. My whole family knew him."