The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has officially released the initial autopsy findings for the family of four found dead in their North Hills home. The chilling details from the forensic report not only confirm the devastating timeline of a murder-suicide but also expose the brutal severity of a silent mental health crisis—one where a mother, remembered by loved ones as deeply “caring,” ultimately ended the lives of her entire family.

Part 1: The Chilling Findings from the Medical Examiner’s Office

Following days of securing the scene at the North Hills residence in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office has completed the identification process and released the official causes of death for the four victims. The preliminary forensic report reconstructs a horrific scenario that unfolded on the evening of May 27 at approximately 7:50 p.m.

According to data from the medical examiner:

• Khajag Basmajian (31): Was determined to have died from a gunshot wound to the head. The coroner’s office classified his death as a homicide.
• Marine Basmajian (30): Died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Her death was classified as a suicide.
• Alec Basmajian (2) and Ella Basmajian (6 days old): Both innocent children suffered the same cruel fate, with autopsy results confirming they passed away due to gunshot wounds to the head.

Officer Rosario Cervantes, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), reconfirmed to news outlets that the case is being handled decisively as a murder-suicide. There was no intruder, and no pursuit from the outside. Every fatal shot originated from the hands of the 30-year-old wife and mother within the four walls of what was once their sanctuary.

Part 2: “An Entire Young Family Lost in a Single Moment”

As police continue to finalize their investigation, the victims’ extended families broke their silence through a tearful online memorial and fundraiser. The firsthand words from the family wrench the heart of anyone who reads them. They described the event as a “tragic loss” that no words could ever heal.

“In a single moment,” the family wrote in heartbreak on the online fundraiser, “we lost an entire young family who were deeply loved by everyone who knew them.”

The sudden passing of Khajag Basmajian was a massive shock to friends and colleagues alike. In the eyes of everyone, the 31-year-old man was the epitome of positive energy and responsibility:

“Khajag was a devoted husband, loving father, cherished son, brother, and friend. To know him is to love him. With a beaming smile on his face and a positive outlook on life, he was truly a friend you could count on.”

Even more devastating were the lines dedicated to 2-year-old Alec. The young boy possessed a bright smile and cheerful eyes, taking completely after his father. Alec loved his toy vehicles and was at an age of “getting a taste for life one bite at a time (ice cream was his favorite).” The family shared that prior to that fateful night, Alec couldn’t wait to meet his baby sister, Ella. But tragically, baby Ella “only lived to see the world Earth side for 6 days” before her right to life was cut short by the very mother who bore her.

Part 3: The Paradox of the “Caring” Mother and the Pressure of Perfection

One specific detail that caught the attention of criminal psychologists and mental health experts when looking into Marine Basmajian’s mental state before the crime was how her family described her: she was a “caring mother and wife who found comfort in organization and enjoyed gatherings among her loved ones.”

From a psychiatric standpoint, the phrase “found comfort in organization” can sometimes be a double-edged sword for a new mother. Individuals who exhibit a strong need for control, order, and perfection in their daily lives are often among the most vulnerable to breaking during the postpartum period.

When a newborn arrives—especially when there is already a highly active 2-year-old toddler in the house—the logical order of life is completely upended:

• Sleep is severely fragmented, leading to extreme physical exhaustion.
• The living space is no longer “organized” due to the chaotic demands of diapers, feedings, and constant crying.
• A drastic, vertical drop in female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) occurs roughly 6 days postpartum, acting as a massive biological shock to the system.

For someone like Marine, who deeply valued order, the inability to control either her physical environment or her own racing mind may have triggered a catastrophic internal crisis. From a caring mother, she may have fallen straight into the abyss of Postpartum Psychosis—an extreme psychiatric emergency that neighbors and loved ones suspect played a definitive role.

Part 4: A Neighbor’s Perspective – “To Get Possessed Like That”

Speaking to The Los Angeles Times, neighbor Karen Banuelos was still visibly shaken when recalling the tragedy. She indicated that the family had dropped subtle hints that the shadow of postpartum depression had been closing in on the 30-year-old mother in those final days.

“It’s so depressing, it’s so devastating for everyone. Postpartum [depression] is real,” Banuelos shared sorrowfully. “To get possessed to do that? It’s just, there’s no words.”

The neighbor’s comparison to being “possessed” accurately reflects how postpartum psychosis manifests. To the outside world, Marine’s actions appear unfathomably cruel and irrational. However, to a patient trapped in acute psychosis, the brain is entirely occupied by delusions and severe hallucinations. They may hear commanding voices or genuinely believe a distorted reality—such as thinking that “freeing” their husband and children from this world is the ultimate act of mercy. The forensic results, showing that all gunshot wounds were precisely targeted to the head, indicate a terrifying decisiveness—a chilling characteristic often seen when a perpetrator acts under the absolute control of severe hallucinations, completely detached from reality.

Another neighbor, Undreal Turner, described the deaths to ABC 7 as a profound shock to an otherwise peaceful, tight-knit suburban community.

“It’s sad. Four people lost their lives today,” Turner said. “We really need to hone in on our moms, and even dads, just to make sure, in the neighborhood, people that you know, that they’re OK. Do they need any help? Do they need any assistance? Do they need any support?”

Part 5: A Wake-Up Call for Postpartum Support Systems

Undreal Turner’s plea on ABC 7 cuts straight to the core of what society must re-evaluate following every postpartum-related murder-suicide.

Modern healthcare systems and family dynamics often suffer from a gaping blind spot: The psychological disappearance of the mother the moment the baby takes their first breath.

The Basmajian family tragedy proves that crisis can knock on any door, regardless of a family’s middle-class status, education, financial stability, or the amount of love present in the home. Postpartum depression and psychosis do not discriminate based on wealth, nor do they care how “organized” or loving a mother was in life. It is a severe bio-psychological medical emergency that requires clinical intervention, and it cannot be cured by superficial words of encouragement or sheer willpower alone.

Conclusion

The family portrait shared on GoFundMe, capturing a beautiful moment where Khajag, Marine, and little Alec smiled happily together, now stands as a heartbreaking relic. Six-day-old Ella never even had the chance to be a part of a complete family photograph.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s investigation remains ongoing to uncover the final pieces of this tragedy. But whatever the ultimate conclusion may be, the lesson left behind has been paid for with the highest price imaginable: the lives of four innocent people. We must never let the outward “organization” or bright smiles of new mothers deceive us. Ask them how they are doing, hold them, and offer real help before the darkness of a mental health crisis consumes the things they cherish most.