Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan Obituary, Death Cause – Detectives from the Major Crimes Bureau and the Cyber and Forensics Division of the Fairfax County Police Department are now conducting an investigation into a fatal stabbing and gunshot that occurred inside a Herndon home located in the 13200 block of Stable Brook Drive. The events took place early in the morning of Friday, February 24. No arrests have been made. At eleven in the morning, FCPD Chief Kevin Davis held a press conference at a staging area located close to the locations where the events took place. “We have confirmed reports of the deaths of two persons. “One was shot, and the other was stabbed to death,” Davis added. “Both of them were dead.
He assuaged the community’s concerns by reassuring them that “no ongoing threat to public safety” existed. At the time of the double homicide, there were a total of four individuals present in the residence. The husband of the deceased woman and an au pair were among those who were located, identified, and taken into jail by the authorities. Davis stated that there was also a young child inside the house with them. The girl’s age was later determined to be four years old. She was secure, uninjured, and in the custody of the authorities at that time.
Davis stated that they are attempting to piece together the specifics, including the order in which the violent crimes took place, in order to determine who was specifically responsible for the fatal shooting and who was specifically responsible for the fatal stabbing. Because there were no indications of a forced entry, the authorities did not feel that the incident was a break-in or an invasion of someone’s home. Detectives assigned to the crime site and the homicide investigation would continue to work on the case. Davis said that the firearms had been found and recovered. The residents of the single-family home reportedly dialed 911 and reported an emergency to the police.
“A woman stated that her acquaintance had been injured. According to the complaint made by the police, a man then went on the line and indicated that he shot an unknown individual who invaded his home and stabbed a woman. As soon as they arrived on the site, patrol officers responded swiftly and found four individuals inside the home where the incident occurred.
Herndon resident Christine Banfield, 37 years old, was found in a bedroom on the second floor suffering from stab wounds to the upper torso. Joseph Ryan, 39, from Springfield, had a gunshot wound to the upper body when he was discovered nearby. Banfield, who was found to be alive after the attack, was sent to a nearby hospital, but she did not survive her stab wounds there.
At the scene, it was determined that Ryan had passed away. According to the police, detectives are still conducting interviews and analyzing evidence that was retrieved from the scene in order to determine the relationship between the persons involved and the events that led up to the two fatalities. In the next days, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct the autopsies in order to ascertain the cause of death as well as the manner in which it occurred.
