Sandy Springs Couple in Murder-Suicide

The children of a couple who died in a murder/suicide have been found and are safe, police say.

Sandy Springs Police are investigating the deaths of their parents Irene and Jamal Mickens at 789 Hammond Drive. It is believed to be a domestic related incident.

Police said that sometime Tuesday night, Irene went to pick up her children from her estranged husband, Jamal at his home in the Sandy Springs highrise condo.

, and Irene notified her father Tuesday that she headed over there for the exchange, police said. When her father couldn’t reach her last night, he called police. 

Police responded, doing welfare checks at Jamal's 17th floor condo once at 10 a.m. and again at 11 a.m. But there was no answer.

When they returned later, Police found both the Mickens’ vehicles in the parking lot. Police went into the condo to discover a murder suicide. Both were 40-years-old.

“We believe that he shot her and then shot himself,” said Lt. Steve Rose, with the Sandy Springs Police. Both had gunshot wounds to the head.

A semi-automatic 9 mm handgun was found at the scene, Rose said.

Police said neighbors did not hear the gunshots.

The children of the couple, Evan and Ava, were not found when police initially responded.

But late Wednesday morning police confirmed that the children were sent to be with Jamal’s sister in McDonough.

“We don’t know exactly when they were taken over there, whether it was late last night or even before,” Rose said.

“We did confirm that the kids are there and they are safe.”

It was a relief that the terrible crime was not worse.

“We’re happy that the kids were found,” Rose said. “It just put a close to this without it being more tragic than it already is.”

Still, he said, it will be an extremely difficult issue for the two young children.

“These kids are going to go through a tremendous process of realizing their parents are gone,” he said.

According to Fulton County Civil Court records, there was a temporary restraining order filed by Irene in March of 2009, which was later dismissed. The case was filed as a family violence case.

A petition for divorce was filed shortly thereafter.