Michael Van Der Linden, 38, died and killed another motorist when he drove the wrong way down Interstate 94 near Michigan City just after 1.30 a.m. on Thursday.
When police went to his Bellevue, Michigan home to tell his wife Linda, they found her dead body along with those of her two sons, Matthew, four, and Julien, seven, in separate bedrooms.
Police said they are investigating whether the father, who had a history of depression, killed his family before purposefully crashing into oncoming traffic 120 miles from his home.
The two young boys and mother, 34, were found stabbed in their chests in their beds, police said.
LaPorte County Medical Examiner John Sullivan told WSBT it appears Van Der Linden stabbed his wife and children and then fled, eventually crashing near Michigan City.
'They want us to look for a knife in the vehicle, but the vehicle is completely burned up and destroyed,' Sullivan said.
Police Capt. Gregory Laurain added that it was too early to speculate about what had happened, but no suicide notes were found in the home, which is around 25 miles west of Detroit.
'There was no sign of forced entry. No sign of robbery,' he said.
Scene: A coroner's van takes away the three bodies from the Bellevue, Michigan home on Thursday morning. The two boys, aged four and seven, and their mother were all stabbed in their chests |
Tragic: Police are investigating if Michael Van Der Linden stabbed his wife and children to death before purposefully driving into oncoming traffic on a highway in Indiana |
He added that they did find a weapon inside the house, but would not give further details.
Police told WDTV4 that the Van Der Linden, who went by 'Mike', had a history of depression and had been known to try to commit suicide before.
Records show the fire department had been called to the family's home in recent weeks for an incident involving the father, the news site added.
Police have collected computers and voice messaging equipment from the home.
Fatal: Michael Van Buren died on Interstate 94 early on Thursday morning after driving the wrong way and colliding head-on with another vehicle. He also killed the other driver |
The crash engulfed both vehicles and both men were pronounced dead at the scene.
Linda Van Der Linden was a stay-at-home mother, while her husband worked in IT for business computer firm Experis, which is based in Portage. He had been with the company nearly three years.
They lived in Anna Drive in Van Buren Township, a quiet, clean subdivision of Tudor- and Colonial-style homes. It is an area of well-kept lawns and outdoor swimming pools.
'It is very, very disturbing that something like this happens in any community and especially in our semi-rural township of Van Buren,' Van Buren Towenship's Supervisor Paul White told WWJ-AM.
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