Authorities made two gruesome discoveries Tuesday after a Missouri woman walked into a police station and told officers she had fatally shot one of her children and drowned the other, officials said. Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said at a news conference that authorities believe the two children were killed Tuesday morning.
Ashley Parmeley, 36, of Pevely, is charged with second-degree murder, authorities announced Tuesday evening. She is being held without bail at the Jefferson County Jail.
Jefferson County Sheriff
A 9-year-old girl was found dead in her mother’s car, parked in front of the Festus police station, where the mother went.
Parmeley’s clothes were wet when she arrived at the police station, CBS affiliate KMOV-TV reported, and Marshak said the other child had drowned elsewhere. A 2-year-old boy was found dead in a fountain outside a resort near Festus, a St. Louis suburb.
Marshak said officers were searching for a third child who had been found safe.
Parmeley was arrested and the deaths are being investigated as a homicide. Authorities have not revealed a possible motive.
Parmeley is currently only charged in connection with her son’s death, but the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said it plans to question St. Louis prosecutors. Francois County will charge him in connection with his daughter’s death, KMOV-TV reported.
The Festus School District confirmed the girl had just finished 3rd grade at Festus Elementary School, the station reported.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and all first responders affected by this tragedy,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.