Baseball pitcher Blake Bivens' wife and child murdered by brother-in-law

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Bivens' wife, one-year-old son and mother-in-law were murdered by his brother-in-law for reasons unknown.

Tampa Bay Rays Double-A pitcher Blake Bivens was out of town for a match when he got the news of his family's murder. Bivens' wife, child, mother-in-law and the family dog were found dead by neighbours. The murderer, Bivens' brother-in-law, terrorised the town as he stripped naked and went on a rampage.

Locals of Keeling Drive in Pittsylvania, Virginia spotted the dead body of a woman in the family's driveway early on Tuesday morning. Police reached the scene to find one body on the driveway and two more bodies inside the home. 18-year-old Matthew Thomas Bernard was named as the suspect and a public alert warned that the suspect might be armed.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: The suspect in a triple homicide in Pittsylvania County, 19-year-old Matthew Bernard, ran toward @KyleMWilcoxTV & @humphreyWSET while they were at a staging area -- he also strangled the church's caretaker.https://t.co/4OVjvg9kkQ pic.twitter.com/cg23z2KIEX
— ABC 13 News - WSET (@ABC13News) August 27, 2019

When Bernard was spotted, he was neither armed nor clothed. The teenager was pursued by the police. News cameras caught the teen running past reporters before attacking a groundskeeper of the Keeling Baptist Church. Police was forced to use mace and tasers on the teen to prevent him from strangling the elderly groundskeeper. Bernard managed to evade the police at the church but was eventually apprehended while trying to flee to the scene of the murders.

Crime Scene — police tape at crime scene REUTERS

ESPN confirmed that the murdered women and child were related to Bivens.

Blake and Emily Bivens had tied the knot back in 2016. The couple welcomed their son in June 2018. Cullen Micah Bivens had just turned one before his uncle committed the triple murder. Cause of death is to be confirmed after a post mortem is completed. Bernard is likely to have shot his family with a rifle.

Bernard is currently at a hospital receiving medical attention before he is taken into police custody. The motive behind the murders is unknown. What caused the teen to go on a rampage is yet to be announced by the police. Bernard has been booked for three counts of first-degree murder.

Due to the tragedy, the Montgomery Biscuits cancelled a doubleheader on Tuesday in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The CEO and managing owner of the Biscuits, Lou DiBella shared the news with fans over Twitter.