3 dead after stabbing incident in one of most shocking crimes in recent Hanover history

The silence of a quiet Thursday morning on East Walnut Street in Hanover was shattered around 10:10 a.m. when police first received calls for a stabbing.

By the time the day was over, three members of a Hanover family were dead, including the perpetrator, and one more was severely wounded in the largest multiple homicide case in Hanover's recent history.

As police officers first flocked to the scene at 950 E. Walnut St., they found a severely wounded 27-year-old male outside of the home who had been stabbed. The injured man then told officers that other family members were still inside.

When officers breached a door to the small duplex rancher, they would discover a horrific scene, with Dylan Arvizu, 17, and his mother, Guadalupe Morales, 49, deceased inside of the home.

The coroner's office released the names of the two deceased Friday evening, but officials had not released the name of the surviving 27-year-old victim as of Friday.

Dylan Arvizu was a senior at Hanover High School, just two blocks from his home, and was set to graduate with the class of 2024, according to a release by Hanover Public School District Superintendent of Schools, Dr. John A. Scola notifying the district of his passing.

"His teachers spoke extremely highly of him and often commented about how much they enjoyed having him in class," the release said.

The School Crisis Team, including school counselors and a school psychologist, will be available upon the return of Hanover students from their winter break on Jan. 2.

Without a suspect in custody, police began a methodical search to secure the scene, clearing sheds and vehicles at gunpoint as they looked for the suspect.

During that time, an ambulance raced the 27-year-old victim to the trauma center at WellSpan York Hospital, where police say he is expected to survive.

Officers wrapped the sycamore trees that line East Walnut Street in crime scene tape and placed barricades on both sides of Witmer Avenue as they worked to secure the perimeter of the scene.

Roughly an hour later, while police continued to investigate the scene, a neighbor alerted an officer guarding the scene's perimeter to a man he saw laying in blood behind a truck in the alleyway a short distance away from the home.

That man, Rogelio Arvizu, 50, was handcuffed by police as he was rushed in an ambulance to WellSpan York Hospital, where he would later die.

Prior to learning of his death, police initially filed charges against Rogelio of two counts of criminal homicide and two counts of attempted homicide stemming from the incident. That case would ultimately be dismissed due to Rogelio's death at the hospital.

Police said in a statement Thursday evening that the incident was believed to be isolated to the individuals involved, and that there was no danger to the community. That was echoed in a report from the York County Coroner's office, where a statement said the incident is thought to have been a domestic incident.

The deaths of the two victims inside the home were characterized as homicides by the coroner's office, while the death of Rogelio was not.

Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for the Evening Sun. Reach him at hjones@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: 3 dead after Hanover, Pa. stabbing incident