New information on New Bedford apparent murder suicide
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WLNE) — For the second time in two weeks, a massive police presence took over a home on Phillips Road in New Bedford.
That home has been tied to Lisa Hazard, 28, who was reported missing back in 2019 and is now the scene of an apparent murder-suicide.
George Scott III, the police’s main person of interest in the case, killed his 8-year-old son, Dante Hazard, and then himself Friday in his New Bedford home.
“This is a very serious and tragic matter certainly for the family of the deceased. You have a young child deceased, and it appears has died in a violent way. We will have to wait for the cause of death from the medical examiners,” District Attorney Thomas Quinn said.
Quinn said police conducted a search in the house about two weeks ago in relation to the missing case of Hazard.
The police were called to the house Friday morning for a well-being check and once inside the home, they found two people dead.
“It appears to be that two people were found deceased in that home,” Quinn said. “One is an eight-year-old child, and one is an older man who we believe is George Scott III.”
The district attorney’s office said the well-being check was requested by a relative who had not been able to get in touch with Scott.
“There were several knives located in the home and the investigation is ongoing and there will be forensic testing of the evidence,” Quinn said.
According to the Bristol County district attorney’s missing person website, Hazard left the home of her son’s father, Scott, to check into rehab and she has not seen since.
“I am pleased that we have been working on the case and special credit to the police and state police for the investigation into her disappearance,” Quinn said.
“You know ever since the police came and executed the search warrant and took everything out of their house, you just wonder what the next shoe to drop is,” neighbor Kevin Forward said. “It is an absolute tragedy. Unnecessary and you would never think it would happen in your backyard.”
The case is part of an ongoing investigation into Hazard’s disappearance and the district attorney’s office is responding to the development.