Woman Found Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide Attempt

A woman was found dead in a Manassas townhouse yesterday afternoon, and her boyfriend found injured nearby in what appears to be an attempted murder-suicide, police said today.

Chantie Brooks, 44, was found dead with multiple stab wounds in the upstairs bedroom of her boyfriend's rented Georgetown South townhouse, where she also lived, Manassas Police Sgt. Tim Neumann said. The boyfriend, Mikuel Gaskins, 53, was found alive nearby with apparently self-inflicted stab wounds.

An investigation is ongoing, and it is still uncertain who initiated the attack, though initial findings indicate that Gaskins stabbed Brooks to death and then turned the knife on himself, Neumann said.

Police were called at 12:21 p.m. after two of Gaskins's relatives and a neighbor saw his car parked outside but got no answer after banging on the door. The group entered the house through an unlocked window and found blood on the first level and then the couple upstairs, Neumann said.

Gaskins was transported to a hospital and is in stable condition, and an autopsy is being performed on Brooks, Neumann said. No charges have been filed.