Little Lauryn Egland had fun playing under the sun Friday afternoon.
The next day, her father dragged her into the middle of a storm and tore apart her family.
The 6-year-old is now an orphan in the protective custody of Bucks County Children and Youth Services, and officials will hold a hearing on Wednesday to begin determining who will take permanent custody of her, District Attorney Dave Heckler said. Her father killed her mother, maternal grandmother, her mother's boyfriend, a child and himself, police said. Lauryn was not physically harmed during the killing spree.
Officials don't know whether Lauryn witnessed the murders on Saturday. Heckler said officials hope Lauryn was in her father's truck when everything happened.
Leonard John Egland of Fort Lee, Va., expressed concern for Lauryn in a note he left, Heckler said, "But he's done more harm than he could possibly do by being squeezed out of her life. It's just nuts."
Egland's killing spree stemmed from his divorce from Carrie (Ruehl) Egland and a dispute over who would raise their daughter, officials believe. The Eglands shared custody of Lauryn.
Leonard Egland, 37, grew up in the Los Angeles area, according to a story published in the St. Leo University magazine "Spirit" in winter 2008. Egland completed the requirements to earn a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at the university in 2007. He joined the Army in 1993 and served on three combat tours — to Somalia in 1993, Afghanistan in 2004 and Iraq in 2009. A public affairs officer at Fort Lee reported that Egland received the Bronze Star and other commendations. Egland was promoted to the rank of captain in 2009.
Between his tours to Somalia and Afghanistan, Egland met Carrie Egland at Fort Irwin, Calif., where both were stationed with the Army.
Carrie Egland, a pretty blonde who was 36 when she was killed, grew up in the Doylestown area and graduated from Central Bucks East High School. Local friends who formed a Facebook group in her memory talked online Monday about her smile and her loyalty; they declined to be interviewed for this story.
Carrie Egland joined the Army in 1995. She noticed Leonard Egland when he was on his way to classes at a community college near Fort Irwin, according to the St. Leo magazine article. The two married in 1997 and eventually moved to Virginia.
Carrie Egland achieved the rank of staff sergeant before she left the Army and became a logistics analyst for a contractor in Richmond, according to the St. Leo magazine article and a public affairs officer at Fort Lee. She was expected to earn a bachelor's degree in 2008.
Family photos taken in late 2007 and early 2008 show a happy couple with a chubby toddler. More recent photos show a pretty little girl with her father's dark hair and her mother's wide smile.
It is unclear when or why Leonard and Carrie Egland decided to divorce. Chesterfield County (Va.) Police Lt. Randy Horowitz said the divorce was expected to be finalized in a month or two.
Heckler said he believes Leonard Egland took Lauryn to California to visit his mother and kept his daughter longer than his allowed period of visitation, which caused the conflict between Leonard and Carrie Egland to escalate.
Officials believe Leonard Egland went to Carrie Egland's home in Chesterfield County, Va., just as the storms from Hurricane Irene were starting, and took Lauryn from her mother. Leonard Egland killed Carrie Egland, her 40-year-old boyfriend Scott Allred and his 7-year-old son. Horowitz said all three had been shot in the head with 9-mm rounds, and Carrie Egland had been shot multiple times.
Leonard Egland drove about 300 miles with Lauryn through strong winds and heavy rain to the Buckingham home of 66-year-old Barbara Ruehl, Carrie Egland's mother and a former nurse at Doylestown Hospital. Officials believe Leonard Egland arrived at Ruehl's home at about 9 p.m. Saturday and shot her in the head.
After Egland killed Ruehl, he took his daughter to St. Luke's Hospital in Quakertown. He asked medical personnel at the hospital to examine Lauryn and left her there with a note, which Heckler said "has the flavor of a farewell note. It suggests he didn't expect to be communicating with her again. It asks her to pray for mom and dad. And it does express an apology for doing this to (her)."
Lauryn told a hospital employee that "Grandma is in heaven now."
An orderly confronted Egland about leaving his daughter at the hospital, and Egland pulled a gun and left.
At that point, police in Bucks contacted police in Chesterfield County, who were not aware that the murders had taken place.
Egland headed east on Route 313 toward Doylestown, with state police in pursuit. Dublin police joined the pursuit as Egland passed through the small borough. They drove on Route 313 over the Route 611 bypass, where Egland also encountered officers from Doylestown and Doylestown Township. Egland headed south on the northbound lanes of the Route 611 bypass and stopped his truck about 100 yards from the ramp. He got out and engaged in a shootout with police.
Egland fired a military rifle. One bullet went through the window of Dublin Sgt. William Kirk's vehicle, and the glass shattered and some went into Kirk's eyes. Another bullet went through the driver's side window of Cpl. Edward Hilton's vehicle, which was on the Route 313 overpass, and struck Hilton's left wrist. Both police officers went to Doylestown Hospital, where they were treated and released.
Dublin police Chief Brian Lehman said Kirk's eyes have not been permanently damaged by the glass. Doylestown police Chief James Donnelly said Hilton will have surgery this week to remove the bullet, and his bones do not appear to be broken.
Egland then continued driving south on the northbound lanes of the Route 611 bypass and got off at Broad Street, where he struck a newspaper delivery vehicle. He did not stop, but continued to Warwick.
Officials believe Egland might have been headed to the home of a family member of Barbara Ruehl and Carrie Egland who lives in the area.
Heckler said an emergency services volunteer who heard the emergency radio reports about Egland saw Egland's truck in the parking lot of Giovanni's Pizza at the intersection of York and Almshouse roads in the early morning hours Sunday. By that time, officials knew that Egland was in the military and had some experience with engineering, Heckler said, and they were concerned that the truck was "booby-trapped." SWAT teams from all over the county were called to Warwick. Officers approached Egland's vehicle cautiously. And when they looked into the vehicle, Egland fired at them from a large trash receptacle at the Lukoil station across the intersection.
Egland then ran into the woods, and police pursued him on foot. Warwick Township police Chief Mark Goldberg said SWAT officers lost sight of Egland through the woods, wind and rain.
Police from all over Bucks County then spent more than 12 hours searching for Egland in the area around York and Almshouse roads, and as far north as Sugarbottom Road. Police found Egland's body at about 3:40 p.m. near the woods behind Action Karate — not far from where they found the truck.
The rain stopped and the sun appeared just as staff from the Bucks County Coroner's Office moved Egland's body to their vehicle. Bucks County Coroner Joseph Campbell confirmed Monday that Egland committed suicide.
