What began as a quiet, uneventful Sunday morning quickly unraveled into tragedy after three people — including an elderly woman — were discovered shot to death inside a Boyd Street residence. The horrifying discovery turned a normally peaceful neighborhood into the scene of a triple homicide that has left residents reeling.
Police said officers were dispatched to the home around 10 a.m. for a well-being check. What they encountered instead was a scene of devastating violence. Inside, they found the body of an elderly woman on one floor of the multi-family home. In another section of the residence, a man and woman — who lived separately within the same property — were also found dead from gunshot wounds.
By mid-morning, Boyd Street was transformed into a scene that looked more like a crime drama than a familiar neighborhood block. Police cruisers lined the street, investigators in protective gloves and vests carried evidence bags in and out, and yellow crime scene tape cordoned off the property. Shocked residents gathered outside, speaking in hushed voices, their expressions mirroring disbelief and fear.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Watertown Police Chief Justin Hanrahan addressed the media later in the day, confirming the triple homicide. Both officials emphasized that the killings appeared to be an “isolated incident” and that there was no ongoing threat to the public. While the statement was meant to reassure, it did little to calm the unease of neighbors who woke up expecting a typical Sunday and instead found themselves living next door to a crime scene.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims, as next-of-kin notifications are still underway. Investigators are now working tirelessly to reconstruct what unfolded inside the Boyd Street home. Detectives from the Massachusetts State Police and Watertown Police Department are collaborating on the case, piecing together evidence and interviewing those who may have had knowledge of the victims’ lives and relationships.
For Watertown, a community still marked by its role in the Boston Marathon bombing manhunt more than a decade ago, Sunday’s events reopened old wounds. The neighborhood is once again in the national spotlight, this time as the site of a triple killing that residents never imagined could happen on their quiet street.
Neighbors described the Boyd Street area as calm and family-oriented, a place where most people know one another and violent crime is rare. The shock of three lives lost in a single morning has left many grappling with fear and sadness. “You never think something like this could happen here,” one resident told reporters. “We’re used to peace and quiet, not police tape and detectives.”
As the investigation continues, the home remains sealed off, a chilling reminder of the violence that unfolded behind its walls. Authorities are expected to release more details in the coming days, including the identities of the victims and any potential connection between them.
For now, Watertown mourns as a community. A town once defined by its resilience is now forced to confront another chapter of tragedy — and the reminder that even the safest of streets can harbor unimaginable darkness.
