Pedro Maldonado Sr. Kills Wife, Son With Crossbow, Takes Own Life

A Florida man murdered his wife and teenage son with a crossbow, then drove 460 miles to attack his other son before killing himself, authorities say.

Pedro Maldonado Sr. used a "hand-held crossbow that shoots small arrows" to carry out his violent rampage, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office

Authorities began searching for the 53-year-old hunter on Tuesday after receiving a tip from friend of Maldonado who allegedly heard him confess to the killings. Not long after, police found the suspect's wife, Monica Narvaez-Maldonado, 47, and his younger son, Pedro Maldonado, Jr., 17, dead in their home, NBC Miami reports.

Police say that after murdering his wife and son sometime Monday, the alleged murderer drove about hundreds of miles north to Tallahassee. He took a hotel room and waited until Tuesday morning to allegedly reuse the same crossbow to attack his older son Joel, a student at Florida State University.

According to the sheriff's report:

He tried to shoot him with the small crossbow, but José turned, and the arrow hit his ear. Then his father began to choke him, but José struggled and managed to get away from his dad, who fled. José did not report the attack.

Around 4:15 p.m., Tuesday, the Broward County Sheriff's Office got a call from a friend of Maldonado that alleging he'd admitted to killing his wife and son.

Detectives immediately set out to locate Maldonado. But when they found him, the suspect had slit his own throat in a Cabot Lodge Motel room in Lake City, about 100 miles east of Tallahassee, police said.

Authorities did not release a motive. According to the Miami Herald, "friends said Maldonado and his wife had overstayed their visas from Ecuador and he feared being deported." The Herald also notes that Maldonado may have recently lost a business deal.