Former Red Sox Star's Son Kills 8-Year-Old Boy, Then Himself 3 Years after Ex's Disappearance
The son of a former Boston Red Sox star was found dead in a New Bedford, Massachusetts home and is believed to be the perpetrator of a murder-suicide that has rocked the small community.
Authorities were conducting a welfare check when they found the bodies of George Scott III, 54 — the son of former Red Sox first baseman George "Boomer" Scott — and his 8-year-old son, Dante Hazard, on Friday, June 2, the Bristol County District Attorney's Office said in a press release cited by NBC News. A relative of Scott had asked the police to check in on him and his son after days had passed without hearing from them.
"It appears from the evidence recovered at the scene to be a murder-suicide," the release said. "Mr. Scott appears to have killed the boy with a sharp object before taking his own life. We are awaiting the medical examiner’s confirmation of these and other details."
RELATED: Indiana Man Blamed After His Family Was Murdered While The Killer Walked Free For Years
"Evidence has been recovered from the scene that involves several knives. There appear to be serious injuries to the boy's body," the statement continued.
Lisa Hazard Photo: City of Fall River Police Department/ Facebook
Oxygen.com reached out to the New Bedford Police Department for comment and didn't hear back.
The apparent murder-suicide comes on the heels of police executing a search warrant at the New Bedford home in connection to the disappearance of Dante's mother, Lisa Hazard, the DA's office shared. The search warrant in question has been sealed by a judge.
According to the DA Office's missing persons list, Lisa was living in Fall River and was last seen leaving Scott's New Bedford home in March 2019. She had intended to seek treatment at a drug rehabilitation center but was never seen again. Scott was a person of interest in the investigation, which is active and ongoing, the DA's office said in their statement about the murder-suicide.
Neighbors were shocked by the deaths of Scott and Dante. Neighbor Kevin Forward told NBC Boston that Dante, who turned 8 on June 1, "would run around the property and throw the ball around with his dad. Can't even believe it."
RELATED: A Surprising Suspect Emerges in Death of Openly Gay Coal Miner
Neighbor Rochelle Valois used to babysit Dante and came to know him as being "full of life and love," similar to his mother, whom Valois was friends with. In light of the circumstances, Valois said she believes Scott was involved in Lisa's disappearance.
"I definitely am thinking that he did something to her, because even when she first went missing, I didn't think that she'd just up and leave her son like that," said Valois. "And not even try to contact her family."
Last November, Lisa's brother, Steven Hazard, told NBC affiliate WJAR that the family was aware of the then-28-year-old's drug abuse issues and initially thought they hadn't heard from her because she was in rehab. "Then she started missing important dates, like my mom‘s birthday or her son’s birthday or Mother’s Day, and that’s really uncharacteristic of Lisa because she has always been all about the family, especially her son,” Steven said.
He described Lisa as being "infatuated" with Dante, who was only 3 years old at the time of her disappearance. "She was a great mom."
