A mother and her two children were found dead inside their Alabama home early Monday, authorities said, in a case that has left the community grieving and investigators searching for answers.
Deputies with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call around 2:30 a.m. at a residence at 7950 Auble Moody Road, where they discovered three victims in separate rooms.
In a televised press conference later on Monday, Sheriff Paul Burch identified the victims as Lisa Ferguson, 46, with her social media accounts listing her last name as Fields, her daughter Keziah Arionna Luker, 17, and her son Thomas Cordelle Jr., 12.
All lived at the home. Luker was eight months pregnant. She also had an 18-month-old child inside the residence, who was found unharmed.
Burch said all three victims had their hands bound behind their backs. He said Lisa, and the 12-year-old suffered fatal cutting injuries, while the teenager was shot.
“All of the victims had their hands bound behind them with zip ties or flex cuffs,” Burch said.
Investigators said the home was in disarray, with drawers open, suggesting the suspect or suspects may have been searching for something.
Authorities also believe more than one person may have been involved and said there were no signs of forced entry. Burch described the killings as deliberate and targeted.
The discovery was made after a concerned family member was sent to check on the family.
Authorities said the father of the pregnant teen and toddler was working offshore, and became alarmed after noticing unusual activity on her phone through a location-sharing app and being unable to reach her.
Burch said a relative went to the house to check on the family, entered the home, removed the unharmed toddler, and called 911.
During the press conference, reporters asked about possible suspects. Burch said they don’t believe it is a domestic or family-type circumstance.
He said the father of the 17-year-old and 12-year-old is estranged and lives out of town, and investigators were still trying to piece together the family relations.
The sheriff said he was not sure how many suspects there were, but assumed more than one. “To murder two children brutally, the 12-year-old was almost decapitated,” he said. “I hope we will have this animal or animals off the streets soon.”
“She was the most beautiful person and so extraordinarily special! A heart of gold and so loving! She was the better part of me, and I will never be the same!” he said.
As of late Tuesday, no arrests have been announced, and no suspects have been publicly identified.