Father's Death Ruled Suicide in Mt. Lebanon Tragedy That Killed Two Children

Patrick Lynch, 42, died from multiple blunt force injuries, officials revealed, as his death was ruled a suicide — days after he threw his two young children off a Pennsylvania parking garage before jumping after them. The children's deaths were deemed homicides.

Lynch, his son James, 8, and his daughter Caroline, 6, were found dead near the foot of a five-story parking garage in the affluent Pittsburgh suburb of Mt. Lebanon at around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, in what authorities have since described as "not an accident." First responders pronounced James dead at 4:35 p.m. Tuesday, just one minute before his little sister, according to the medical examiner's office. Police said preliminary information indicated the deaths appeared to be the result of a murder-suicide.

The father's cause of death was confirmed by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office to CBS News on Thursday — one day after the office revealed that Caroline and James had also died from blunt force injuries, but their deaths were deemed homicides.

The children's mother, Anna Lynch, has since defended her husband as a "wonderful dad" whose mental state had spiraled after losing his job three months ago, according to a screenshot of a now-deleted social media post. "He was laid off in August and shortly after became depressed," she wrote, adding that things had seemingly begun looking up when he agreed to seek help. His first mental health appointment was scheduled for November 4 — one day after the deaths.

Lynch studied math and economics at Dartmouth College before earning a master's degree in business administration from Carnegie Mellon. He most recently worked as a data scientist for the New Jersey-based technology company Slice, from February 2022 to August 2026, according to his LinkedIn profile. An online fundraiser created to help Anna Lynch bury her loved ones had raised more than $210,000 as of Friday afternoon. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 in the United States to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.