PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – 18-year-old Matthew Thomas Bernard of Keeling, Va, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

The Pittsylvania County 911 received a call around 8:00 Tuesday morning that a person had been shot.  Deputies arrived to find a female dead in the driveway of a home at 1949 Keeling Road. Inside, deputies discovered the bodies of a second female and a child.

About 100 law enforcement officers fanned out across the area and located Bernard about 12:15 in the afternoon as he ran naked from a wooded area.

Family members confirm that the deceased were the mother, sister and niece of Bernard; however, the names are being withheld at this time.

Investigators are still collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses. Sheriff’s deputies were joined in the search by officers from Danville, Martinsville, the Department of Corrections and Virginia State Police. 

The bodies will be transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Roanoke for autopsy.

A date for Bernard’s first court appearance has not been set.