Authorities made two gruesome discoveries Tuesday after a Missouri woman walked into a police station and told officers she fatally shot one of her children and choked the other, officials said. Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said at a news conference that authorities believe the two children were killed early Tuesday morning.
Ashley Parmeley, 36, of Pevely, is charged with second-degree murder, authorities said Tuesday night. She is being held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond.
Jefferson County Sheriff
A 9-year-old girl was found dead inside the mother's car, which was parked in front of the Festus police station, where the mother turned herself in.
Parmeley's clothes were wet when he 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 spring outside a resort near Festus, a suburb of St. Louis.
Marshak said officers searched for a third child who has been found safe.
Parmeley was arrested and the deaths are being investigated as homicides. Authorities have not released a possible motive.
Parmeley is currently only charged in connection with her son's death, but the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office says it intends to ask St. Francois to be charged in connection with his daughter's death, KMOV-TV reported.
The Festus School District confirmed the girl had just completed the 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.
