North Carolina's foster care community was shaken by the deaths of a couple providing care to a teen in Hoke County on Monday.

"We have two foster parents who woke up yesterday and didn't go to sleep in their beds that night," said Gaile Osborne of Foster Family Alliance of NC.

Other WRAL Top Stories

The deaths of a man and woman, Ted and Joann Chavis, inside a home in the 1600 block of Cope Road, "is not something we've experienced in North Carolina," Osborne said.

The Hoke County Sheriff's Office was called to the home on Monday just after 6 p.m. When deputies arrived, they found the Chavises dead from stab wounds. 

Within hours, investigators determined the couple's 17-year-old foster child, identified by the initials of D.P., was a suspect and tracked his vehicle to the Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina at Lake Waccamaw. As officers searched that property, they found the teen. As officers surrounded him, the teen shot himself. He did not survive his injuries.

"Since October 28, security protocols on campus were reviewed, all campus gates have remained closed and all BGHNC youth and staff remain safe," said a Boys and Girls Homes spokesperson in a statement to WRAL.  "Two secondary trauma training sessions for staff are scheduled for this week, and trauma-informed clinicians continue to be available for all youth at our campus programs at all times."

The spokesperson said state does not allow Boys & Girls Homes to comment on any juvenile who may have been in the facility's programs of care.

"This is one of those scenarios that just stops you in your tracks as a caregiver or as a substitute caregiver in North Carolina," Osborne said. "This could've been any of us. This could've been any of our families we have across North Carolina.

Still, she cautioned, “I don't want our families that are currently serving children to panic. I don't want them to think 'oh, the child in my home is going to do the same thing to me.'"

"This is not a typical response. This is absolutely not normal," she said.

There are more than 5,600 licensed foster families across North Carolina. 

The case remains under investigation, according to the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office.

“Our hearts go out to all those impacted by this tragic situation," said Columbus County Sheriff Bill Rogers.

The Foster Family Alliance said caregivers undergo dozens of hours of training for children who have experienced trauma. 

The teen's name was not released.