After family members identified a mother and three young girls found dead in a rural Michigan home as Aubrianne Moore, 28, and her three young daughters, investigators are saying the mother unexpectedly picked up her daughters from school the day of their deaths.
Kent County Sheriff’s Office detectives said Aubrianne Moore showed up at the children’s school in the middle of the day to pick them up, claiming they had a doctor’s appointment, which investigators have determined was fake, reported Fox 17.
The 28-year-old then took her daughters out to lunch, and then to a wooded area behind a home in the 300 block of 19 Mile Road on Feb. 18, authorities said. Once there, one by one she took the children into the woods and shot them with a bolt-action hunting rifle.
VIDEO from 19 Mile Road northwest of Cedar Springs, where authorities are investigating the apparent shooting deaths of four people, including children: https://t.co/KYZ9oofRcc pic.twitter.com/4qQpw4Yoan
— WOOD TV8 (@WOODTV) February 18, 2019
Her daughters were Kyrie, 8, Cassidy, 6, and Alaina, 2. Family members, that identified the bodies, told WOOD-TV:
“They were awesome kids, absolutely great. The oldest excelled in reading like no other. The youngest one, she was just so joyful and so happy all the time. And then the middle child, she was just rambunctious and wild and always put a smile on everybody’s face.”
Family members have identified the three children and the woman found dead in Michigan today. They are 2-year-old Alanah Moore, 6-year-old Cassidy Graham and 8-year-old Kyrie Graham and Aubrianne Moore. https://t.co/AWjPaxIbAz
— WKRG (@WKRG) February 19, 2019
Authorities said after the children were all shot, Moore put them back in her car and drove them to her boyfriend’s home in the 200 block of 19 Mile Road and then proceeded to shoot herself.
Over an hour later, Moore’s boyfriend found the bodies of the children inside the vehicle in his home’s driveway. Moore’s body was found just outside the vehicle, authorities said.
Deputies responding to shooting in NE Kent County; multiple deaths reported https://t.co/4MDuiTXssy pic.twitter.com/T8TGp1aGZ8
— FOX 17 (@FOX17) February 18, 2019
Moore, who has a history of mental health, was recommended to receive treatment in September after a social worker saw her exhibiting strange behavior, court documents show.
The court documents show Moore was diagnosed with “unspecified schizophrenia” and she had an inability to understand her need for treatment.
A petition for mental health treatment filed in Newaygo County Probate Court said Moore wasn’t eating because she thought her food was contaminated. She was also keeping her children home from school because her TV said there would be a school bus crash, and she was staying awake at night out of fear that burglars would break into her home.
KCSO Sheriff LaJoye-Young addresses the media regarding an active investigation on 19 mile Road. We can confirm 4 casualties however we do not believe there is an active threat to community safety. pic.twitter.com/HdcxtNyI6n
— Kent County Sheriff (@KentSheriff) February 18, 2019
As a result, Moore was recommended by the social worker to receive 60 days of in-patient treatment at Forest View Hospital in Grand Rapids. However, it’s not clear if Moore underwent treatment and, if so, for how long.
On Sept. 28, Moore was discharged on deferral status. Despite the diagnosis, Moore’s daughters remained in her custody.
Moore was also making statements on social media indicating she thought her children were in danger, authorities said. Investigators suspect that may have led to the shooting.
Did the system fail northern Kent County girls and their mother before murder-suicide? The question might not be that simple, a state mental health official told @_HeatherWalker: https://t.co/YvWszMGt6X
— WOOD TV8 (@WOODTV) February 22, 2019
Memorial services for the children have been set. Family will greet friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday and a private one for the family will be held on Saturday.
Service plans for Moore are still pending.
“I don’t understand it. She had beautiful children, wonderful children,” a family member told WOOD-TV. “I don’t see what the reason was to take them.”
