Today was an extremely difficult day for the family, for our office, and for this community. And I can only imagine what the family is going through,” Shoshone County Sheriff Holly Lindsey said
A woman and a toddler were found dead at their home in Wallace, Idaho, in what authorities believe was a murder-suicide, according to the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office.
Shoshone County Sheriff Holly Lindsey said in a Facebook post that deputies responded Wednesday to a call from a home on 152 King Street at around 8:27 a.m. When deputies arrived on the scene, they found 33-year-old Elizabeth Lawley and her 2-year-old toddler deceased with gunshot wounds.
After conducting a preliminary investigation, Lindsey said authorities suspect Lawley killed her son and then killed herself.
“Speaking honestly, in my 19 years of service for Shoshone County, I’ve never seen the SCSO so somber, so devastated; we shared a lot of hugs, and we shared a lot of tears,” Lindsey said.
“Today was an extremely difficult day for the family, for our office, and for this community. And I can only imagine what the family is going through,” she continued.
Lawley had also been pregnant when she was found dead, news station KTVB-TV reported. The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office said more details will be released after the medical examiner concludes their portion of the investigation.
Idaho State Police are assisting the sheriff’s office with the investigation, per KTVB-TV.
“I can’t stop thinking about how precious life is,” said Lindsey. “Kiss your spouse, hug your children, call your parents and your sibling(s) to check in with them-don’t take any of it for granted…not even for a minute.”
“Stay safe out there and take care of each other,” she said.