San Diego Family Found Dead in Their $1M Home a Day After Mom Made a Desperate Last-Minute Call for Help

A mother, father, and their 13-year-old daughter were found dead inside their San Diego home, stunning neighbors who knew the close-knit family.

But what happened in the 24 hours before the discovery has become a critical part of the family's story. Amy Voight had spent the previous day trying to get help for her husband, according to her parents. It was also her 54th birthday.

A Neighbor Realized Something Was Terribly Wrong

Amy, her husband, David Voight, 56, and their daughter, Mya, 13, were found dead inside the family's $1 million San Carlos home on Wednesday, September 16. According to a local television report, San Diego police were called to the 6800 block of Boulder Lake Avenue at around 8 a.m.

A neighbor had heard loud bangs the previous evening and suspected they could have been gunshots. She texted the Voights but received no response. The following morning, the neighbor noticed that Mya had not left for school.

She had a close relationship with the family and knew the code to enter their home because the neighbors helped watch each other's dogs. She went inside and discovered the parents. Police said all three family members had suffered gunshot wounds.

Authorities recovered a gun from inside the home and said they were not searching for any suspects or aware of any threat to the surrounding community.

Investigators were treating the deaths as an apparent murder-suicide, although the circumstances remained under investigation. The medical examiner's findings were expected to provide further information.

Amy's Parents Had Seen Troubling Changes

The timing added another troubling detail to the investigation. Amy's parents, Mary and Jerry Austin, had become concerned about changes they were seeing in David, a longtime Navy veteran. David had served for approximately 30 years as a U.S. Navy warrant officer, according to the New York Post.

His military career included deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and service alongside Navy SEALs in explosive ordnance disposal. Navy records cited in a local report showed that he deployed around the world and received more than two dozen awards and decorations.

A family friend described him as a highly respected member of the military community. According to Amy's parents, David had post-traumatic stress disorder, and they believed his symptoms had recently become worse.

Mary described what she had observed: "You could visibly see there was something really wrong. He was fidgety. You could tell." The Austins encouraged their daughter to seek professional help for him. What Amy did next happened just one day before the family was found dead.

Amy Sought Help on Her Birthday

On September 15, Amy went to a Department of Veterans Affairs clinic, her parents told FOX 5, San Diego. It was her birthday. According to her parents, Amy spoke with a receptionist and a nurse and asked whether something could be done to help David with his anxiety, depression, and frustration.

Jerry said his daughter was told that the counselors were busy and that she needed to make an appointment. The next day, Amy, David, and Mya were found dead.

The Department of Veterans Affairs disputed the characterization of the services available to veterans seeking mental-health assistance. The agency said it could not discuss the Voight family's specific case because of privacy restrictions.

"What's being alleged regarding VA services is not accurate," VA Press Secretary Quinn Slaven said in a statement. "All VA healthcare facilities offer same-day mental healthcare to all Veterans who request it."

Jerry, himself a Navy veteran who has PTSD, said his own experience at a VA clinic in Lancaster, California, had been different. He said veterans facing mental-health crises should be able to receive immediate help and described the Lancaster facility as attentive to veterans from the moment they arrive.

For Amy's parents, however, the loss was only beginning to sink in. "It’s terrible, and our pain is just starting," Jerry said.

A Mother, a Daughter, and the Lives They Left Behind

Amy was not only a devoted mother but also an accomplished professional. She worked as a digital forensics analyst for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, according to FOX 5 San Diego.

Mary called her daughter extremely bright and "the most amazing person." Mya was an eighth grader at John J. Pershing Middle School.

After her death, classmates began leaving flyers and handwritten notes outside the family's home describing how much they would miss her, according to a second local television report. A photograph of Mya was displayed with flowers and candles around it.

Principal Christy Aragon sent a letter to parents and students expressing condolences and explaining the support available on campus. Parents were encouraged to answer children's questions honestly, allow them to express their feelings, and acknowledge when adults did not have all the answers. Counselors were also made available.

A Little Dog Had Brought Mya and Her Neighbor Together

Neighbor Lindy Ross had known Mya since the girl was about six or seven. Their friendship began during the COVID pandemic through Ross's Yorkie, Harley. Ross recalled Mya as witty and clever and said there was frequent laughter at the family's home.

Another neighbor similarly remembered the Voights as friendly people during the occasions when they spoke. "They just seemed really nice, and they seemed really warm at the times we talked to them, so it's a little surprising," the neighbor said.

Ross woke to find crime scene tape around the family's home after the deaths. "It's just unfathomable for me, and the magnitude of the loss is… going to impact me," she said.

Neighbors later prepared a candlelight vigil near the family's home. Flowers, candles, and other tributes accumulated as people stopped by to remember them. Ross said she wanted the Voights remembered as "the amazing, loving family that they were."

Their Families Are Left to Pick Up the Pieces

A fundraiser established for the Austin and Voight families says relatives are now facing funeral, memorial, and other unexpected expenses. Its organizers described the Voights as a military family that had devoted much of their lives to serving others and their community.

Donations are intended to help relatives cover those expenses while they grieve and arrange memorial services. "Our only hope is to honor Dave, Amy and Mya Voight through all of this," the fundraiser states.

Another Veteran Couple Was Found Dead One Day After Their Anniversary

The San Diego deaths came less than two months after another veteran and his wife were found dead inside their North Carolina home. Retired Army veteran Stephen Larnell Willetts and his wife, Tracey Parker Willetts, were discovered on July 30, 2026.

Emergency medical personnel had been called to 5841 Rowsgate Lane in New Hanover County that morning. Authorities reportedly believed a smartwatch worn by one of the victims automatically contacted 911 after detecting either a hard fall or the absence of a pulse.

Medical personnel could not initially enter the house, prompting deputies from the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office to assist. Deputies found an open garage door and entered through it.

Stephen and Tracey were found dead inside. Both appeared to have suffered gunshot wounds. Investigators said evidence pointed to a murder-suicide and believed Tracey fatally shot Stephen before taking her own life, according to the local report.

Officials described the shooting as an isolated incident and said there was no known danger to the public. The discovery came only one day after Stephen and Tracey reportedly marked 40 years of marriage. Yet their deaths were not the first devastating losses their family had experienced.

They Had Lost Both of Their Sons

Stephen and Tracey were the parents of Zachary "Zack" Grey Willetts and Colby Willetts. Both sons died as young adults, a little more than a year apart. Zack died on February 2, 2013, at 23. His publicly available obituary did not give a cause of death.

Like his father, Zack had entered military service. His memorial said he proudly served in the Army National Guard and volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan. Before his military service, Zack had been an athlete who played football, baseball, and lacrosse in high school.

He later attended East Carolina University and was studying at Pitt Community College when he died. Just over a year later, Stephen and Tracey lost their younger son.

Colby died on March 14, 2014, at 21 after living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. His parents were beside him at home when he died. His obituary said Stephen and Tracey held him for the final time as he passed.

The tribute described Colby as someone who dealt with persistent physical limitations and discomfort without complaining about his condition. Even toward the end of his life, the obituary said, Colby remained concerned about the effect his death would have on those around him.

He was remembered for his courtesy, gratitude, wit, and ability to make other people comfortable around someone living with a disability. As a child, Colby was also known for his understanding of world events and a logical outlook that could hold the attention of adults.

His Service Dog Stayed Beside Him for Years

For the final nine and a half years of his life, Colby had a golden retriever service dog named Teva. His family believed the connection between the two was so strong that they sometimes appeared to understand each other without an obvious signal.

As Colby's physical health declined, he became increasingly concerned about who would look after Teva. His published tribute described that concern as consistent with the way he thought about others.

Stephen and Tracey wrote that raising Colby had brought them tremendous happiness and taught them lessons they expected to carry throughout their lives. Tracey continued sharing photographs of both sons on social media in the years that followed.

A Relative Remembered the Family Before the Losses

After Stephen and Tracey's deaths, Tracey's second cousin Fuller Royal shared a family photograph believed to have been taken around 1999 or 2000. His Facebook post showed a period when Stephen, Tracey, Zack, and Colby were all together.

Fuller wrote that it broke his heart to think that the family now existed only in the memories of people who had known them. He remembered Tracey as someone who regularly visited and checked on his parents.

His connection to Stephen stretched back years. The two attended the University of North Carolina Wilmington and worked as emergency medical technicians with Whiteville Rescue.

Fuller remembered Stephen as a skilled EMT whom he trusted during emergency calls and said Stephen had helped and saved many people while working with the rescue squad. There were lighter memories, too.

Stephen appeared in Fuller's film "James Bonded:000." The two repeatedly watched "Caddyshack" and went to see "Taps" and "Excalibur" at least three times each.

"I can't begin to imagine how much that hurt and what they went through," Fuller wrote. "I pray they are reunited with their boys and that everyone is whole, safe, and at peace."

Our sincere condolences go out to all those affected by this tragedy.