Three children and two adults were found dead in a home in Brandenburg, Germany, last week. Signs of what were originally believed to be gunshot and stab wounds, but have since emerged to be just gunshot wounds, prompted officials to launch a murder investigation.
In a suicide note found by investigators at the home, the suspected man said he feared arrest, according to a report in German magazine Focus.
The letter stated that the 40-year-old procured a forged Covid vaccination certificate for his wife, also 40.
When her employer found out, the couple feared they would be arrested.
The letter also claims they feared their three children would be taken away from them.
The children, who were found dead at the home alongside their parents, were aged four, eight and 10.
Investigations to date point to the father having killed his wife and three children.
He is then believed to have committed suicide after the fact.
A firearm was found at the home, according to reports.
READ MORE: Brexit Britain victory! Firms eye export explosion outside EU
This follows the tightening of laws against unvaccinated citizens in Germany in recent weeks and months.
Germans who choose for personal reasons not to get the jab will be barred from engaging in most aspects of public life.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the new restrictions on the unvaccinated as an “act of solidarity”.
She attempted to justify the measures by insisting that “the situation in our country is serious”.
Leaders have also hinted that a general Covid vaccine mandate could be introduced in February.
Around 70 percent of Germans have been vaccinated, short of the 75 percent target the German Government is aiming for.
Additional reporting by Monika Pallenberg.