Mom kills her children then brings one with her to police station, Missouri cops say
UPDATE: A 36-year-old woman has been charged with murder after Missouri authorities say she showed up to a police station and said she killed her two children.
Ashley Parmeley, of Pevely, is charged with one count of murder following the death of her 2-year-old son, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. The boy was found unresponsive in a body of water at a resort south of Festus, authorities said.
The boy’s sibling, a 9-year-old girl, was also discovered dead, the sheriff’s office said. Authorities previously said the child was found shot and killed in a vehicle Parmeley had driven to the police station.
There is evidence “in which it is quite possible the victim of the shooting was shot in St. Francois County,” Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said.
“Investigators with the sheriff’s office intend to apply for further charges through the St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office,” the sheriff’s office said.
The original story is below.
A woman drove to a police station and told officers she had killed her two children, Missouri authorities say.
One of the kids was found shot in the woman’s vehicle outside the Festus Police Department headquarters Tuesday, May 28, Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said in a news briefing.
When the woman arrived at the police station, her clothing was wet, according to the sheriff. She said the incident happened at a resort.
It led authorities to Timber Creek Resort south of Festus, where Marshak said the second child was discovered to have drowned, the sheriff said. First responders attempted life-saving measures on both children, but they were pronounced dead at the scenes.
A motive for the killings is unclear, Marshak said. The children’s mother was placed into custody.
“This situation is a tragedy for our community,” the sheriff said in the news briefing streamed by KTVI. “It’s a tragedy for the family and the victims and anyone who knows this family.”
A gun was found in the car the woman drove to the police station in Festus, according to Marshak. The child found dead in the car is believed to have been shot elsewhere.
Authorities have not released the names and ages of the children, but Marshak said both kids are under 10 years old. The sheriff’s office said it hopes to release more information at 5 p.m. CT Tuesday.
Festus is a 35-mile drive south from St. Louis.
This story was originally published May 28, 2024 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Mom kills her children then brings one with her to police station, Missouri cops say."