ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, Va. – Autopsy results show a New York man shot and killed his 2-year-old son before shooting and killing himself while sitting in his car in Rockbridge County, according to law enforcement officials.
Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Tony McFaddin said Monday the autopsy results show it was a murder-suicide.
Deputies received a call the afternoon of June 6 when neighbors saw smoke coming out of John Ligurgo’s car, which he had parked in the backyard of a couple’s house in a Raphine neighborhood not far from Interstate 81. Deputies confirmed the day of the incident that both Ligurgo, 43, and his son, 2-year-old Jovani, each had one gunshot wound.
There was uncertainty over how the two died because deputies said someone intentionally set a fire in the black Jeep. Deputies said it never fully ignited but caused smoke to fill the inside of the car.
Police in New York said the father drove off with his son in Long Island the day before when he was supposed to drop the boy off with to his mother per a custody agreement. Police did not send an Amber Alert.
Police said the father started a fire in his house before leaving New York. He did not have a criminal history.