San Antonio, May 7: In a chilling turn of events, a woman in the US instructed her 3-year-old son to "say goodbye to Daddy" on camera before fatally shooting him and then taking her own life. The tragic incident unfolded just before a scheduled custody hearing with her ex-husband on March 19. Identified as Savannah Kriger, the 32-year-old mother's actions shocked authorities as they pieced together the gruesome sequence of events leading to the murder-suicide.

According to a report by the New York Post, the gruesome discovery came hours after an Amber Alert was issued for the three-year-old, identified as Kaiden Kriger. Savannah and Kaiden were discovered lifeless in a drainage ditch near Tom Slick Park in San Antonio on March 19 after an extensive search. The investigation into their deaths has unveiled a series of disturbing events leading up to the tragic incident. As per the report, Savannah Kriger's death has been ruled a suicide, while Kaiden's demise was labelled a homicide by the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office. Murder-Suicide Case in US: Five, Including Three Children, Found Dead at Home at Ohio’s Lake Township.

As per a WAFB9 report, the sequence of events began on March 18 when Kriger left work early and went to her ex-husband's residence. There, she reportedly caused significant damage to his belongings before returning to her own home. Upon her return, Kriger laid out wedding dresses and portraits on her bed and fired two shots into the wedding portraits. Later in the afternoon, she picked up Kaiden from daycare and initiated FaceTime calls with her ex-husband, failing which she issued ominous warnings about his possessions. Murder-Suicide Case Rocks New Jersey: Woman Shoots Husband, Two Daughters to Death, Then Dies by Suicide in US As Family Is About to Be Evicted.

Thirty minutes later, Kriger and her son arrived at the park, where their bodies were later discovered. Authorities revealed that Kriger made futile attempts to contact her ex-husband once again before sending a chilling final text instructing him to bid farewell to their son. Subsequently, Kriger recorded a 21-second video showing herself and Kaiden seated in the drainage ditch. She prompted her son to bid farewell to his father, stating, "Say goodbye to Daddy," before committing the heinous act.

The bodies were not discovered until 19 hours later, despite authorities launching a search after a welfare check call the previous evening. An Amber Alert was also issued for Kaiden during this time. Investigators believe that Kriger and her son had been deceased for several hours before they were found. A gun recovered from the scene matched the shell casings found at Kriger's residence. The horrific incident has shed light on the custody battle between Kriger and her ex-husband, with a court hearing scheduled for March 19, the day their bodies were found.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 07, 2024 05:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).