HOUSTON _ Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the murders of Rays minor league pitcher Blake Bivens' wife, 14-month-old son and mother-in-law, Pittsylvania (Va.) County Sheriff Michael Taylor Wednesday.
Matthew Thomas Bernard, the 18-year-old brother of Bivens' wife, was arrested Tuesday and faces three counts of first-degree murder and use of a firearm during a felony. Bernard is being held without bail and is on suicide watch, Taylor said.
Bernard was found emerging from a wooded area naked and unarmed and, after initially avoiding capture, was apprehended with the help of a police dog. An initial court appearance is scheduled for Thursday.
"We won't go into the whys because we don't know yet. We're trying to figure that out ourselves," Taylor said at a media briefing in Chatham, Va. "I think that (Bivens) has questions, just as we all do at this point."
Police confirmed the victims were Emily Bivens, 25; Cullen Bivens, 14 months; and Joan Bernard; 62, the suspect's mother. Taylor said a neighbor found Joan Bernard's body in the driveway of the family's Keeling, Va., home and notified police, who found Emily's and Cullen's bodies inside.
Paperwork showed Matthew Bernard was attending community college and working at his parents' campground. The tragic incident touched many throughout the baseball world, and elsewhere. A gofundme.com page (Emily Bivens Family Fund), arranged by the Our Baseball Life group, had raised nearly $35,000 by Wednesday night.
The Astros held a moment of silence in tribute to Bivens before Wednesday's game; the Rays are expected to do so Friday when they return home.
Though few of the current Rays big-leaguers knew or played with Bivens, they all felt his loss, manager Kevin Cash said.
"I don't know if we have words," Cash said. "Our hearts go out to the Bivens family, Blake, the Bernard family. It's national news. It's terrifying to know that goes on. All we can do is kind of put our arms around him as an organization, him and his family, and do the best we can."
Bivens, 24, is a pitcher on the Rays Double-A Montgomery team, who attended high school in nearby Danville. The Biscuits will resume play at home on Thursday after cancelling a doubleheader on Tuesday in Chattanooga, Tenn., and having Wednesday off. Manager Morgan Ensberg, who accompanied Bivens home to Virginia, is expected back.
Bivens and his wife had their first child, Cullen, in 2018. On June 10, Bivens posted a video of his son on Instagram to celebrate his first birthday.
The Biscuits start a five-game series against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos to conclude the Southern League regular season. Montgomery is then slated to take on the Jackson Generals in the Southern League semifinals, beginning Sept. 4.
