CADIZ, KY (WSMV) -
Residents in Cadiz, KY, are searching for answers after three members of a local family were found murdered in their home on Sunday morning.
Friends and neighbors said the Champion family was well-known and well-liked in the community.
Lindsey Champion, 62, Joy Champion, 60, and their daughter Emily Champion, 31, were found dead at a home on Old Dover Road.
"It's devastating," said Austin Hendricks, a former student of Joy Champion. "I really can't find the right word for it. It's heartbreaking."
Police also discovered the body of the suspect, 22-year-old Vito Riservato. As of Sunday, the Kentucky State Police said they were not searching for another suspect.
All four bodies were found in or around the home, all suffering from gunshot wounds.
Flags were flown at half staff at Trigg County Intermediate School, where Joy Champion taught for 30 years. She mainly taught fourth grade.
"Everything my son learned, she learned from Joy Champion," said Robin Ford-Stagner, Joy Champion's co-worker of more than 10 years.
The family belonged to Cadiz Church of Christ, where Lindsey Champion was an elder. Emily Champion worked as a veterinarian for racetrack horses in Louisiana. She graduated from Auburn University.
Ryan Champion, 36, survived the shooting. He and his sister, Emily Champion, were in town Sunday visiting their parents. Emily was spending time with her family before starting a new job in November, Ryan said.
The Champions had just returned from church that morning. Ryan said because of the ongoing investigation, he can only share certain details of what happened inside the house. But according to Ryan, he was the only person who walked out alive after Riservato came to the home.
Riservato briefly met the victims last week, according to Tfc. Jay Thomas, a spokesman for the Kentucky State Police.
"It was a very short relationship, that's all I can say," Ryan said.
The man added he wishes he intervened sooner. He said he believes Riservato spared him because he was not considered a threat.
"I was able to turn the tables on him. He got close enough to me that I could turn the tables, and that was it," Ryan said. "Every minute the entire thing was going on, that's all I was waiting for. I was waiting for an opportunity."
Ryan was released from the hospital Sunday. He was uninjured.
He said it pains him to return to the crime scene that was once his home.
"That's where I grew up. That's my home," he said."When I see certain things around the house, I can still see mom and dad."
Police cleared the crime scene around 6:30 a.m. Monday. The bodies will now be sent to Madisonville, KY, for autopsies, Thomas said.
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Emily, Joy and Lindsey Champion died in the shooting.
Ryan Champion was the only family member to survive the shooting.
Vito Riservato, 22, was also found dead at the Trigg County home. He is accused of shooting Lindsey, Joy and Emily Champion. (Source: Facebook)
