Police in San Luis Obispo, Calif., now believe John Michael "Mike" Rivard was responsible for the murder of his wife, Dartmouth graduate Barbara Rivard '85 and their daughter Olivia Rivard in a double-murder suicide on Oct. 3, according to an Oct. 18 police-issued press release.
As was previously reported, Mike Rivard called 9-1-1 at 6:53 a.m. on the morning of Oct. 3 to report a shooting in his home. While he was on the line, Rivard shot and killed himself.
When police arrived on the scene they found Barbara, Mike and Olivia dead. The couple's two other children, Jack, 4, and Melinda, 5, were found unharmed in another room. The surviving children have been taken into custody and now live with relatives in Southern California, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reported.
An Oct. 18 press conference held by police provided additional information about the case, concluding that Mike Rivard was responsible for all three deaths.
During initial phone contact between Michael Rivard and the police, Rivard stated that he had shot his wife following an argument between Barbara and their daughter Olivia. The dispatcher attempted to keep him talking on the line, but during the conversation the dispatcher heard a loud blast, after which Rivard did not respond. Police later concluded that he had shot himself while on the line.
When officers arrived at the home they discovered Barbara Rivard dead in Olivia's room. Both Barbara and Olivia, who was found in the couple's master bed next to Mike, had suffered single gunshot wounds to the head. Barbara also displayed evidence of severe beating.
Michael Rivard was found holding a .357 caliber handgun and a cellular phone still connected to the police station.
Police reconstruction of the events indicates that Michael beat Barbara with a metal flashlight while the two were in Olivia's room. Michael then shot Barbara, using a pillow to muffle the sound. Some time afterward, he shot Olivia, again using a pillow to muffle the sound. It is not clear if Olivia witnessed her mother's murder, and police have found no indication that the other children saw any of the violence.
Police concluded that Barbara and Olivia both died due the their gunshot wounds, and that Barbara's multiple blunt trauma wounds from the flashlight contributed to her death.
A toxicology report on Mike Rivard has yet to be completed.
At the press conference, San Luis Obispo Police Chief Deborah Linden refused to speculate on Michael Rivard's motivation, due to the essentially unknowable nature of his thought-process. She also called for restraint by the media, and asked the public to respect the privacy of the surviving members of the Rivard family.
