Police determined that the death of a mother and her 13-year-old son who were found dead in Kensington was a murder-suicide.

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Police said the mother, 54-year-old Margaret Ferne Jensvold, was found dead Tuesday afternoon at about 2:30 p.m. inside her bedroom in a residence on Simms Court. Her son, 13-year-old Benjamin H. Barnhard, was found dead in his room.

Police were called to the scene after one of Jensvold's coworkers couldn't contact her.

A medical examiner determined that Barnhard’s death was a homicide and Jensvold killed herself. Both died from gunshot wounds.

Benjamin’s father James Barnhard, who is the ex-husband of Jensvold, asked police to send a statement on his behalf. He said that his son graduated Wellspring Academy and was featured on a teen diet program called “Too Fat for Fifteen: Fighting Back.” Benjamin lost 160 in the last year, his father said.

"I loved my son and ex-wife, and I was proud of both of them,” James Barnhard said in the statement. “I do not understand this tragedy, and I do not know why this has happened. I will hold them in my heart, and they will be sorely missed by all who loved them. Please keep us in your prayers."

Candles and rest-in-peace signs lie on a memorial for the victims outside their home in Kensington.