Authorities have reported a tragic incident in Alabama where a woman, her pregnant teenage daughter, and her 12-year-old son were found murdered in their home.
Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch explained that deputies arrived at the Wilmer residence shortly after 2:30 a.m. and discovered the bodies in separate rooms, all with their hands tied behind their backs.
The victims were identified as 46-year-old Lisa Gail Fields, who had been stabbed; 17-year-old Keziah Arionna Luker, who was shot; and 12-year-old Thomas Cordelle Jr., who suffered a throat cut and was nearly decapitated.
“It was a brutal scene,” Burch commented.
He added, “If you’ve got a beef with an adult… there’s nothing worth killing over, but to murder two children brutally… I hope and feel comfortable we’ll have this animal or animals off the streets soon.”
An 18-month-old child was found safe in the home.
Burch mentioned, “At this point, we don’t suspect any kind of domestic or family-type situation.”
The sheriff noted that the house was “left in disarray,” suggesting the intruders might have been searching for something.
Investigators suspect that more than one person was involved in the crime, as the victims had been subdued.
Luker was in her seventh or eighth month of pregnancy, Burch noted.
Burch stated, “The mother was stabbed, the 17-year-old was shot, and the 12-year-old’s throat was cut as was the mom. It tells me that they had a plan coming in to bring zip ties or flex cuffs with them so they had a plan.”
The discovery was made after Luker’s partner, who works offshore, became worried when he couldn’t reach her and noticed her phone was active on Life 360, according to the sheriff.
A family member went to check on them and found the victims in separate rooms, bound at the hands.
The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office will decide if Luker’s unborn child’s death will result in an additional murder charge once a suspect is apprehended.
Investigators currently have “positive leads” in the case, Burch reported.
Luker’s father shared with WALA-TV that his daughter had recently earned her GED.
“It’s a senseless murder,” he stated.
“She was a bubble of sunshine. A person that makes you smile; a person that’ll make you laugh whenever you’re down. She had empathy for everybody. She loved her brothers; she loved her mom; she loved all of us.”
