A brutal familicide occurred in McLean, Virginia on August 5, 2018, when 5-year-old Brooklynn Youngblood was shot in an apartment on Lincoln Circle. Brooklynn died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head after her mother, Veronica Youngblood, opened fire. Brooklynn’s 15-year-old sister, Sharon Castro, was also shot; she called 911 and identified their mother as the shooter before dying of her injuries.

Police say the attack followed a bitter custody dispute between Veronica Youngblood and her ex-husband, Ronald Youngblood. In the days before the killings Veronica purchased a handgun and gave the girls sleeping pill gummies the night of the incident. Veronica was arrested and charged with the murders. A jury later convicted her of two counts of first-degree murder and felony firearm use; sentencing was reported at 78 years in prison.

Did anyone in the McLean community have contact with Brooklynn or her sisters in the weeks before August 5, 2018, who might add details about what led up to this tragedy?