ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI — A man fatally shot his estranged wife and two of her children, then fled the scene with their baby. The murders occurred late Thursday in north St. Louis County, according to spokeswoman Trancy Panus.
St. Louis County Police officers responding to a reported shooting found all three dead at the scene. They also determined that the suspect had taken the 1-year-old girl that he had fathered with the victim. The victims were identified as Roseann McCulley, 34, her son Kayden Johnson, 13, and her daughter Kaylee Brooks, 6. The alleged suspect was identified as Bobby McCulley III, 35.
Court records indicate that Bobby McCulley III had filed for divorce 4 days earlier, on Feb. 28. The two slain children were not his biological children. The baby was found safe with relatives just before 5 a.m. Friday, following the issuance of an Amber Alert. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the child was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
County police Lt. Col. Steve Sack, speaking at a news conference, said that officers had been called to the home earlier Thursday, when a neighbor reported a suspicious person between two homes. According to Sack, officers were unable to locate anyone and left the area.
Police now believe that McCulley entered the home with a weapon on Thursday and held the woman and children against their will for hours before killing them and leaving with the baby. Ironically, they also say that they had been searching for McCulley earlier Thursday after Roseann McCulley reported recent abuse by the suspect. Police returned to the home after a neighbor reported hearing gunshots.
A manhunt was launched for McCulley, who had been charged in an at-large warrant with three counts of first-degree murder. As officers closed in on him, McCulley fatally shot himself in the city of St. Louis.
On the day following the tragic and senseless murders, police announced that McCulley’s mother, Michelle Clayton, 55, was charged with a felony related to the crime. A probable cause statement said Clayton “misled and lied to police to prevent the apprehension of Bobby McCulley.”
If you are a victim of abuse, know a victim of abuse, or are an abuser who needs help to stop, you can contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-787-3224 or chat live at www.thehotline.org.
