A San Diego family was found shot to death inside their home Wednesday in an apparent murder-suicide, just one day after the mother sought help from the Department of Veterans Affairs for her husband’s worsening mental health symptoms, according to her parents.
Amy Voight, 54, her husband, David Voight, and their 13-year-old daughter, Mya, were found dead inside their San Carlos home Sept. 16, San Diego police said. Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The tragedy came just a day after Amy, who was celebrating her birthday, went to a VA clinic at her parents’ urging to seek help for David.
The Austins said David, a highly decorated US Navy warrant officer who served for about 30 years, had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and that his symptoms had recently worsened.
“You could visibly see there was something really wrong,” Amy’s mother, Mary Austin, told FOX 5. “He was fidgety. You could tell.”
The family said David had served alongside Navy SEALs in explosive ordnance disposal and in war zones including Iraq and Afghanistan. As his behavior deteriorated, Amy’s parents encouraged her to get him help.
At the VA clinic on Sept. 15, Amy asked whether David could receive something to ease his anxiety, depression and frustration, according to her father, Jerry Austin.
“She says, ‘Can you do anything to him to help him calm down? He’s frustrated, anxiety, depression,’” Austin told FOX 5.
But the Austins said Amy was told the counselors were busy and that she needed to make an appointment.
The next day, the family was found dead.
Amy’s own career was closely connected to the military. Her parents described her as an accomplished digital forensics analyst for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and a devoted mother.
“She was extremely bright and just the most amazing person,” Mary Austin said.
The family’s account of Amy’s visit to the VA has prompted a response from the agency, which disputed allegations about the care provided.
“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.”
The VA said it could not comment specifically on the case because of privacy concerns.
Jerry Austin, himself a Navy veteran who suffers from PTSD, said the experience underscored the need for veterans experiencing mental health crises to have immediate access to care. He pointed to his own VA clinic in Lancaster, California, as an example.
“My clinic that I go to is in Lancaster, California. It’s a small clinic. It is fantastic,” he said. “They greet you at the door. They take care of you. They are concerned about it.”
For the Austins, the investigation now comes as they mourn the loss of their daughter and granddaughter.
“It’s terrible, and our pain is just starting,” Jerry Austin said.
