Missouri Mother, 11-Year-Old Daughter Found Dead At Home In Apparent Homicide: Cops
A Missouri mother and her 11-year-old daughter were found dead at their home Sunday night in an apparent homicide, police said.
The police have identified the victims as 43-year-old Allison Abitz and her 11-year-old daughter Jozee Abitz. Boone County Sheriff's deputies responded to a residence in the south of Columbia Sunday at around 10:58 p.m. after they got a report from a concerned family member who was unable to contact the residents at the address. When the deputies arrived, they saw the victims dead inside the house, Miami Herald reported.
"The investigation into the deaths of Allison and Jozee is ongoing, and no suspects have been arrested or charged in relation to their deaths," Boone County Sheriff's office said in a news release.
The officers said they were both victims of homicide but no further details regarding the deaths or investigation have been revealed.
"As this is an active and ongoing homicide investigation, no further information regarding this investigation will be released at this time," the news release said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 573-442-6131.
Last week, an 11-month-old Indiana girl who was missing for more than a week was found dead in the woods. After the girl was identified as Mercedes Lain was found dead, the investigators charged Lain's babysitter 37-year-old Justin Miller with neglect of a dependent resulting in the death.
The child was left with Miller at a Plymouth motel after he had agreed to babysit the child for a weekend while the toddler's parents could get a "few days break from their child." When Miller did not bring back the child as agreed, the parents reported her missing. During police interrogation, Miller initially told that he dropped the child off at a neighbor's place but he later changed the story. He claimed the baby was found dead when he woke up and he then moved her body to the wooded area. Investigators have not revealed the exact cause of the child's death.