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Heather Thompson is deceased alongside three family members.
All four lost their lives due to violence in a very short period.
Authorities are investigating the deaths of Thompson, her two young sons, and her grandmother as a triple-murder suicide.
Investigators still consider this an open case — and are asking the public for information. The boys’ father is publicly expressing his grief.
As this news report details, the deaths of Heather Thompson and her family are under investigation as a triple murder-suicide. (Image Credit: WSMV 4 Nashville)Tragedy in Small Town America
On Friday, January 2, the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Department conducted a welfare check in the small town of Waverly, Tennessee.
There, authorities made a grim discovery of four bodies.
Two were women. Two were young boys.
One of the women was Heather Thompson, a 32-year-old nurse. The other woman was her 88-year-old grandmother, Evelyn Johnson.
The boys were Thompson’s sons, 13-year-old Isiah Johnson and 4-year-old Arius Johnson.
All four had apparently died from gunshot wounds.
Authorities are investigating the cause of death, which is sometimes not as straightforward as it appears.
However, from the initial investigation — that is, police examining the scene — authorities believe that Heather Thompson was the shooter.
They suspect that she shot her sons, her grandmother, and then herself. There is no indication of any suspected motive.
Both the Sheriff’s Office and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are treating this tragedy as an open investigation.
Authorities and local news alike are unable to explain the motive behind the deaths of a Waverly, Tennessee family. (Image Credit: WSMV 4 Nashville)Authorities Are Still Piecing Together What May Have Happened
Family annihilators are a type of killer who eliminate their own family members.
The most stereotypical example is a man who believes he has failed his family or that his family is unworthy or holding him back; he then kills his wife or girlfriend and their children.
Sometimes it begins with a single incident — domestic violence that turns fatal — followed by eliminating witnesses.
Other times, the family annihilator plans these murders in advance.
There are documented cases of these killings throughout history, with some immortalized in legends or even religious narratives.
With so little information available, it is difficult to determine whether this horrific crime is the work of a family annihilator — or simply appears to be one.
Authorities have noted that they found no instances of domestic violence calls from the house.
(As countless survivors know, that does not mean domestic violence never took place at home.)
Additionally, Biah Thompson, the reported father of the boys, resides in Arizona.
When the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Department wrote about the crime scene in a January 2 Facebook post, Thompson commented.
Under a Facebook post about the deaths of his family, Biah Thompson left a heartbroken comment. (Image Credit: Facebook)Their Loved Ones Are Experiencing Unimaginable Grief
“I miss my sons already,” he wrote. “Daddy still loves you. Sorry I was at work.”
This is certainly heartbreaking.
Biah Thompson reportedly works at Subway. It is unclear if these reports are current.
Investigators are still looking into this crime and ask anyone with relevant information about these tragic deaths to come forward.
Our hearts go out to all of the family’s surviving loved ones. Perhaps authorities will be able to provide them with the answers they need.
