Father ID'd in 2 kids' deaths at west Little Rock home

Police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in west Little Rock on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017.
Police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in west Little Rock on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017.

Police on Monday identified the man who they say killed his two children before taking his own life in west Little Rock.

All three bodies -- that of 39-year-old Robert Mangan and his two children, ages 4 and 5 -- were found in a bed together Sunday at the one-story home at 11305 Birchwood Drive, according to a statement from the Police Department.

The bodies were found by the children's mother, 35-year-old Lindsay Mangan, who agreed to have the children's father watch the children the previous night while she was away, according to Steve Moore, a Police Department spokesman.

There was no "obvious trauma" to the two children, according to the department statement. All three bodies were taken to the state medical examiner to determine the cause of death. Moore said the incident was not a shooting.

[HOMICIDE MAP: Interactive map of killings in Little Rock, North Little Rock this year]

Police said the department is investigating the deaths as a suicide and double homicide. According to police reports, authorities had documented multiple domestic disputes involving the couple. A court had ordered Robert Mangan to not contact his wife, according to a document issued earlier this month.

Lindsay Mangan told authorities that she and Robert Mangan had been having problems and they had recently separated, according to the department statement.

According to Moore, Lindsay Mangan arrived at the home Sunday and spoke with a man who lives at the home. The man told her that the father was still in a bedroom with the two children, Moore said.

The mother then went to the bedroom, where she found her two children and the children's father dead, he said. Moore said the other resident then called police.

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"This is very, very tough. Not only for our agency, but for our community," said Police Chief Kenton Buckner Sunday afternoon, speaking near the home on Birchwood Drive.

The deaths of the two children are the 44th and 45th Little Rock homicides this year, compared with 42 homicides for all of last year.

If the pace of killings continues, Little Rock is on track to see the highest number of homicides in more than two decades, according to police data. The record number of killings came in 1993 with 76 homicides.

At the time police said he killed his two children, documents show that a court order had barred Robert Mangan from directly or indirectly contacting his wife.

The no-contact order stemmed from an Aug. 4 incident that led to Robert Mangan's arrest for third-degree battery, according to court records. In that incident, Lindsay Mangan told police she was arguing with her husband in a vehicle when he became upset and grabbed her head, hitting it repeatedly against the dashboard, according to the report.

Last Wednesday, police were called to the Birchwood Drive residence for a report of a disturbance. According to the report, Lindsay Mangan reported that she had found her husband trying to get into the home.

She told police that he became angry when she confronted him. She told police that the verbal altercation turned physical, and police observed injuries to her forehead and neck, the report said.

In June 2016, police charged Robert Mangan with third-degree domestic battery after his wife reported that he had hit and scratched her several times, according to an arrest report. Police said in the report that Lindsay Mangan had marks on her upper chest and arms, and Robert Mangan had marks on his knuckles and wrist.

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Lt. Steve McClanahan, a police spokesman, said the department has a Victim Services Unit that helps all victims of crime, including victims of domestic violence. The unit, he said, can help victims of domestic violence find temporary shelter, help victims with orders of protection and help victims get counseling.

Metro on 08/22/2017

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