NEED TO KNOW
- An Arizona family is mourning the loss of a mother and her two children, who were fatally shot earlier this month
- The victims have been identified as Justice Jones and her two children, Tyme Oates and Kyle Oates
- A family member says Justice wrote a Facebook post with a “weird slant emoji” the night before she was killed
An Arizona woman and her two young children were killed in what authorities believe was a triple-murder-suicide earlier this month.
Police responding to a Pima, Ariz., residence on Oct. 16 found the bodies of 31-year-old Justice Jones and her two children, 8-year-old Tyme Oates and 9-year-old Kyle Oates, according to AZ Family and the Gila Herald, two local outlets that spoke with police.
Jones’ father, Duane Jones, was also found deceased — and police believe he killed the three victims before taking his own life, per the outlets.
All four died from gunshot wounds, police said. The gun was in Duane’s possession when the bodies were found, police said, per the Gila Herald.
Breana Flores, a family member, told AZ Family that the night before the killings, Justice reportedly shared a Facebook post with a “weird” emoji.
“She put a post on Facebook and just said ‘good night’ with the weird slant emoji so it was evident that something was going on,” Flores said.
“I just hope that all of them … I hope they were asleep,” Flores told the outlet, “and no one had to see anything happen to the others and didn’t have to experience any type of fear before it happened.”
She further said she and other family members weren’t aware of any mental health concerns regarding Duane.
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Two separate GoFundMe fundraisers have been created to honor the children and their mother.
“These beautiful children were full of light, laughter, and love,” read a fundraiser organized by Phillip Oates.
“They deserved to grow up, chase dreams, and to feel safe,” read a note from the children’s grandparents in the fundraiser. “The organizers of the fundraiser said the donations would be used to prepare memorial services for the victims.”
Another fundraiser, organized by Flores, has been created to assist the children’s father, identified only as Phil, as he prepares for the children’s funeral, misses work without pay and travels out of state.
Read the full article here


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