‘A shock to our community’: Teenager runs naked from police after allegedly killing three relatives

Around 8 a.m. in the morning, a neighbor went to check on residents of the house when she discovered the body of a woman in the driveway, according to the Danville Register & Bee. When authorities arrived and swept the home, they discovered two more victims, a woman and a child.

The deceased were identified as the suspect’s mother, 64-year-old Joan Bernard; his sister, 25-year-old Emily Bivens, who was the wife of minor league baseball pitcher Blake Bivens; and the couple’s one-year-old child. Their small pet dog was also killed.

Soon after the bodies were discovered, area schools were put on “orange alert,” effectively locking students from coming in or out. Law enforcement initiated reverse 911 calls warning residents that they were searching for Bernard, adding that he was armed with a rifle and “very dangerous.” Roadblocks were set up and as many as 100 officers from various departments and jurisdictions, including K-9 units, descended into the sparsely populated area. A tank and armored vehicle were deployed near the crime scene.

Shortly after noon, Bernard — unarmed, and stripped naked — came jogging out from behind two houses and didn’t stop jogging. Dodging and weaving officers who doused him with pepper spray, the teen approached the Keeling Baptist Church.

After running in circles for a bit, parading in front of media that had gathered to cover the news, Bernard approached Lloyd Gauldin, the caretaker for the church. Gauldin scrambled to get into his truck, but before he could get inside, Bernard was recorded grabbing hold of the caretaker’s neck and choking him before an officer slammed a baton into the suspect’s head.

After a four-minute chase in the nude, tactical teams and K-9 units successfully cornered and apprehended Bernard.

Captain Corey Webb told the Washington Examiner that Bernard was detained he began to harm himself, leading to head wounds.

“Once he was taken into custody he was in the back of the patrol car banging his head against … the medal divider that’s in the back of most police cars,” Webb said.

“I would say that the immediate threat is gone,” Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor said. “We don’t know what happened to set off this chain of events.”

“This is a shock to our community … it’s just a reminder of how fragile life is,” Taylor added.

Matthew Bernard’s uncle, Bryant Bernard, said everyone was surprised by the murders and the chase.

“In my wildest dreams, I never could have imagined it. Not him. Of all the people in this world. I never could have imagined it,” Bryant Bernard told WSLS 10.

“This boy’s a Christian. Went to church every Sunday, every Wednesday, every Sunday night. Taught youth groups. Just an all-around perfect kid, in my opinion,” he added, noting the only connection he could think of was that the teen complained to his mother last week that he was having nightmares.

Emily Bevins was married to Blake Bevins, a 24-year-old pitcher for the Montgomery Biscuits, a Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Webb said that although an initial court appearance hasn’t been set, it is expected to be set sometime this week. Bernard his being held at the jail until he appears in court.