Family of Maine shooting suspect says his mental health had deteriorated rapidly

The sister-in-law of Robert Card said they had contacted his Army Reserve unit and police

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UPDATE (Friday, Oct. 27): The man suspected in the Lewiston, Maine, mass shootings has been found dead, authorities confirmed. More details here.

The family of the Army reservist accused ofย fatally shooting more than a dozen people in Lewiston, Maine, alerted police and military officials that he was experiencing an โ€œacuteโ€ mental health episode before the Wednesday night massacre, the suspectโ€™s sister-in-law said.

Robert Card, 40, a firearms instructor and longtime member of the Army Reserve, began to hear voices that were saying โ€œhorribleโ€ things about him a couple of months ago when he was fitted for high-powered hearing aids, according to Katie Card, who is married to his brother.

Katie Card said the family did their best to reassure Robert Card that the comments were not real, including by verifying with some of the people he claimed had made the remarks. But, she said, โ€œit turned into a manic belief.โ€

โ€œHe was just very set in his belief that everyone was against him all of a sudden,โ€ she said.

Read more at NBCNews.com.

Photos: Lewiston, Maine, shooting leaves more than a dozen dead

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