Laura Moberley and her children appear in a selfie.
A South Carolina teacher and her two children were found dead in their own home late last month from what authorities now believe was a double murder-suicide.
On Aug. 31, 2022, at around 1:30 p.m., Horry County Police responded to a home in the census-designated place of Carolina Forest in order to perform a welfare check on 42-year-old Laura Moberley.
Arriving officers entered the home and found the woman dead along with her two children, 11-year-old Eric Moberley, and 8-year-old Emily Moberley. Each one had been shot to death, according to a report by the Horry County Coroner’s Office obtained by The Post and Courier.
The coroner’s report reportedly said the fatal violence likely occurred at around 6:00 a.m. on the day in question.
According to a police report obtained by Florence, South Carolina-based CBS affiliate WBTW, one of the three deceased individuals is listed as a suspect and two of them are listed as victims.
That law enforcement document, however, does not identify which of the three is believed to be the suspect, the TV station reports.
“Our community is hurting today, and that is undeniable,” the Horry County Police Department wrote in a Facebook post. “We ask that you be kind to one another—you may not know who has been impacted by this tragedy.”
A task force of local and state agencies has been working since the gruesome discovery “to investigate the incident, notify next of kin, and provide support to those in need,” police said. That task force includes Horry County Fire Rescue, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Child Fatality Unit, and the coroner’s office.
No motive has been offered by law enforcement for the tragedy as of yet.
Notably, the Facebook post by the HCPD says police are “saddened to acknowledge the death of two young children in a shooting.”
A Myrtle Beach-based newspaper, The Sun News, asked the department why they did not issue a condolence to the mother of the children.
“What we can say at this point is that the incident remains under investigation,” HCPD Public Information Officer Mikayla Moscov told the paper. “The statement addresses community inquiries related to the specific/atypical loss of two children in our community, and also acknowledges a total of three deceased.”
Laura Moberley previously worked as a reading loss interventionist at Carolina Forest Elementary School, where her daughter attended third grade. The elder Moberley child was a seventh grader at Ten Oaks Middle School.
Horry County School District officials eulogized the victims and offered words for the surviving family members.
“We are at a loss for words after learning of the tragic incident that affected an entire family with ties to Horry County Schools,” the district said in a statement obtained by the Sun. “We lift our strongest prayers for the Moberley family and for everyone who knew them. We encourage our community to keep our students and staff in their thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.”
“Our district has a team of counselors made up of professionals trained to help with the needs of students, parents, and school personnel at difficult times such as this,” that statement continued. “Our counselors are available at the affected schools for any student or employee who may need or want assistance surrounding this tragedy.”
[image via Laura Moberley/selfie/Facebook]