Mother's chilling hand-written note about 'evil that has mounted' against her daughter shot parents

A disturbing and cryptic handwritten note was left by the mother of a young Pennsylvania woman which spoke of ‘evil mounted against her’, just before her daughter encouraged both her parents to take their own lives in a planned suicide pact.

The bodies of Morgan Daub, 26, her mother Deborah, 59, and her father James, 62, were found behind the family home on Loman Avenue in West Manchester Township where the murder-suicide took place on the morning of January 25.

On Friday, police revealed to NBC News how mother Deborah Daub had left a handwritten document signed six days earlier, on January 19, in which ‘she speaks of a joint decision’ by her and her daughter Morgan to end their lives.  

Detective Timothy Fink explained in a statement how the note referred to the ‘evil that had mounted against Morgan,’ – but it did not go into further details.

The notes were written on January 24, just a day before the three bodies were found. 

Daughter, Morgan, together with her father left notes that suggested how the family had been planning to carry out the shootings and had made final preparations outlining what should become of the family’s pet dog and their assets.

The notes contained important financial information as well as passages from the Bible.

Police also found a document called ‘Cooper’s Dog Letter,’ which was a list of detailed instructions about how to care for the dog they left behind drugged so that it would not bite first responders.  

Police have since revealed that the way in which the bodies were positioned together with a pair of guns found at the scene and shell casings, ‘support the account put forward by the written documents left behind by the family,’ that ‘all three family members decided to end their lives on 1/24/2023.’

According to the York Dispatch, additional written documents left behind by each family member said that Morgan had ‘told her mother that she was having auditory hallucinations which were not getting better,’ lead detective Fink told the outlet.

‘Deborah wrote that she didn’t want her daughter to pass on alone, so she had decided to end her life with her,’ Fink said.

‘The letter written by James indicated that they had told him their plan, and he decided that he didn’t want to live without them.’

Morgan was found with a metal sword in her left hand inscribed with the words ‘The Sword of the Lord’ on its blade and an empty gun holster on the right side of her belt on the morning of January 25 after neighbors saw the bodies and called 911.

A ‘living will’ had been taped to the inside of the sliding glass door of the home signed by all three members of the family, according to a search warrant.

The document detailed how the trio did not want to be resuscitated if they had been found alive.

‘At the bottom of the note are three distinctly unique signatures for each name listed about followed by a date of 1/24/2023 written beneath the names,’ stated Joseph Staley, an officer with West Manchester, on the search warrant.

James and Deborah’s deaths were ruled as homicides by the York Country Coroner Pamela Gay, while Morgan’s death was ruled a suicide.

Police have not confirmed who killed whom and in what order, however all three died from gunshot wounds to the head. Despite finding the knife, no cutting injuries were found.

The black and silver ‘Sword of the Lord,’ a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield 9mm pistol, a Sig Sauer AR-15, and 9mm shell casings and bullet fragments were collected from the scene, according to the outlet.

Snowfall had initially hidden a handgun which was later located in the backyard by officials.

Officers put up a cordon while a white tent was placed in the garden to mask the horrific sight of the Daub family laying lifeless in the backyard with gunshot wounds to their heads.

Detectives who analyzed ‘communications from the family members’ found at the scene discovered evidence that the killings were pre-planned and all three family members appeared to have agreed to take part in the grisly murder-suicide pact. 

Daub posted a rambling video to her YouTube channel on November 26, 2022 under the username LionessArising. 

She opens the video with a mock British accent before declaring: ‘I, Morgan Elizabeth Daub, York, Pennsylvania, United States of America, do you hereby abdicate the Throne of the United Kingdom.’

Several minutes later, she adds: ‘This is funny… This was the penultimate plan against me and against God. Didn’t know I was the ideal pick for Antichrist, for the devil.’ 

A caption posted beneath the video says: ‘This is a public record of my abdicating the throne and cannot and will not be retracted by me.

‘I was not in any way coerced into abdicating. I am of sound mind and body, and I have chosen this of my own free will. Also, I fully intend to sign official documents at the earliest convenience.

‘For anyone who doesn’t know me and randomly finds this video, it is quite the long story of how I would be next in line for the throne. All will be told in due time.’

Her most recent upload came the day before the killings – a chilling six-second clip with no audio, titled ‘FOLLOW ME AS I FOLLOW CHRIST!!!’

She also posted a 30-minute video in September which said her family were ‘being denied fundamental human rights’.

‘You will find out why I am such a threat soon enough,’ the caption said.

The local police department said: ‘At this stage of the investigation, we do not believe that there is any danger to the public and the surrounding community. 

‘Final determination of the cause and manner of death is pending. The situation is believed to be an event within the family and officers continue to investigate and collect information surrounding this tragedy.

‘Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families of the Daubs.’

A coroners report into the deaths said police were called late on the morning of January 25 with reports ‘indicating there were three bodies found in [the] back’ of the Daub family residence.

‘After a detailed investigation and evidence found on scene, including communications from the family members, it was determined that the three family members had pre-planned their deaths’.

Chief John Snyder said that the Daub family had been ‘extremely religious’ and only James was working at the time of their horrific death pact.

Property records show that the Daubs had lived at their home for the past 23 years having purchased it in May 2000 when Morgan was just three.

Family friends of the Daub family have noted that the YouTube videos uploaded by Morgan had not been consistent with the 26-year-old people knew and loved.

The Morgan they knew would frequent the local bowling alley, a favorite pastime of hers, since she was a child.

‘She really seemed to enjoy bowling. And she was smart,’ said Paula Wolfe, youth coordinator at Suburban Bowlerama to Youth Dispatch.

‘Kind of a quiet girl. Her mother was very friendly. Dad was friendly.’

The bowling alley employee said the loss was a shock to the community.

‘Everybody’s just really sad about it, and just doesn’t know what to make of it,’ Wolfe said.

‘I don’t know that you could ever imagine this. But, yeah, a family that you’d never ever think that anything like this would happen.’

Sherry Wagman, the assistant tournament director for the York/Adams United States Bowling Congress association said Morgan had started to bowl around 8 or 9.

Wagman said the 26-year-old was always keen to learn more about the game and was ‘excited when she bowled well.’

Morgan played with the youth league at Lincolnway until the facility closed in 2013 then moving to Suburban Bowlerama for two years.

‘Morgan bowled in various tournaments while she was a youth bowler and earned quite a few scholarships from those tournaments,’ Wagman said.

Wagman noted that Morgan and her mother would often bowl together.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional help and information.