The soldier who police say killed his wife and 8-month-old daughter before turning the gun on himself this week remains unconscious and unresponsive, and no one knows if he will recover, police said Wednesday.
Spc. Kip Lynch, a 21-year-old military policeman from Jacksonville, Fla., is believed to have shot to death the two members of his family before shooting himself in the head, according to police. He hasn't been charged with a crime because he cannot communicate and no one knows whether he will emerge from his state, police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker said.
"Whether or not they're going to be able to talk to the suspect -- that is the crux right now," Parker said. "Will that ever happen? We don't know. There will be a point at which we can say no, it ain't never going to happen, but it's going to take a little bit more in terms of medical intervention and advice from medical staff before we know."
The bodies of 19-year-old Racquell Lynch -- who went by Kellie -- and the couple's daughter, Kyirsta Lynch were discovered Monday morning after Kip Lynch failed to show up for work. Kip Lynch was found critically injured in another part of the apartment at 9900 William Jones Circle, according to police.
Police have released few details about what they think happened inside the home, including where the bodies were found, when the shooting happened, and why they think a man with no criminal history in Alaska snapped.
Parker said by all accounts such behavior was out of character for Lynch. Police are awaiting results of a toxicology screening to try to determine if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, he said.
"The question is: How long was it before the injury occurred and when they were found," Parker said.
Kip Lynch had returned in February from a year-long deployment to Afghanistan with the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division. He was not injured in combat, according to the Army.
Kellie Lynch, who moved to Anchorage from Jacksonville when Kip Lynch returned, suggested on her MySpace page that she was anticipating a happy reunion.
"Waiting for my husband to come home to have my family together," her page says. "I love my soldier."
Friends and family say nothing appeared to be wrong in the days before the shootings. Kellie Lynch's family told First Coast News in Florida that the family met for a vacation in Arizona just last week.
"We all spent time in Arizona together -- Kip, Kyirsta and Kellie -- and nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary," Kellie's brother Angel Lopez told the station. "Her and Kyirsta were the whole family's pride and joy. They were the only girls in the family and we miss them terribly."
Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.
By JAMES HALPIN
jhalpin@adn.com