Missouri mother went to police station after killing her 2 young children, sheriff says

A Missouri mother was charged and arrested in the deaths of her two young children after she went to a police station and told authorities she shot one of her children and drowned another .

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, in a news release Tuesday, said Ashley Parmeley, 36, of Pevely, showed up at the Festus Police Station around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and “told officers that she had shot one of her children and drowned the other.” “

Officers at the scene discovered the shooting victim, a 9-year-old girl, was in a vehicle outside the station and responded by administering life-saving measures, but were unable to save the young girl. girl.

Officers with the Festus Police Department then learned that the other victim, a 2-year-old boy, was possibly at a resort near Festus, a St. Louis suburb. The department alerted the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office to the situation, who located the child in a body of water.

“An officer swam to the child, brought him to shore and attempted to save his life, but that child was also pronounced deceased,” the sheriff's office said.

Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak, in a news conference Tuesday afternoon, said authorities believe the two children were killed around the same time Tuesday morning. The official added that officers also located a third child, who was found safe.

Suspect charged with second degree murder

The suspect has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old son and is being held without bail at the Jefferson County Jail.

An investigation into the suspect's nine-year-old daughter is ongoing and the sheriff's office said it “intends to file additional charges with the St. Francois County Prosecutor's Office.”

“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.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Missouri mother accused of shooting daughter, drowning son