logo
What we know about Scottsdale murder-suicide that left family of 3 dead

What we know about Scottsdale murder-suicide that left family of 3 dead

Yahoo01-04-2025

An affluent Scottsdale community became the site of a homicide investigation after police officers who were called to make a welfare check discovered the remains of three family members killed in a murder-suicide.
Scottsdale police responded to a gated community near Indian Bend Road and Via De La Sendero at about 10 a.m. March 26, when they found two bodies in the backyard and another inside the home.
The victims were identified as Tod Daniel Lonergan, 51; Lisa Kay Lonergan, 46; and their 15-year-old daughter, Sophia Brin Lonergan.
Here is what we know so far about the homicide investigation and what happened to the family.
According to the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner, Tod died by suicide with a gunshot to the head, while Lisa and Sophia died by homicide.
Local news: Arrests made in Arizona train robberies involving stolen Nike shoes
Scottsdale police spokeswoman Sgt. Allison Sempsis confirmed to The Arizona Republic that the three were a husband, wife and daughter.
Police said that a concerned coworker requested the welfare check after one of the family members failed to show up for work and did not respond when they tried to contact them.
The medical examiner was still investigating the primary cause of death for the family members as of March 31, and medical examiner reports for the mother and daughter were not available. The father's cause of death was reported to be a gunshot to the head.
Additional details such as what led to the deadly incident and whether Scottsdale police had been called to the home before were not immediately available. The investigation remained ongoing as of March 31.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The facts: What we know about Scottsdale family's murder-suicide

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Man out walking dog kills mountain lion in Buckeye neighborhood
Man out walking dog kills mountain lion in Buckeye neighborhood

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Yahoo

Man out walking dog kills mountain lion in Buckeye neighborhood

A Buckeye man recently shot and killed a mountain lion after it attacked him and his dog on an evening walk in a residential area, according to officials with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The incident occurred in Verrado, a community near Skyline Regional Park. Officials said the man, whom they declined to identify, was walking his dog around 10 p.m. on May 25 when a mountain lion approached him and began attacking. Officials said the man engaged in "a brief altercation" with the wild animal, successfully "kicking the lion off of his dog." But it continued to follow them as they began walking back toward their home. When the mountain lion attempted to approach again, the man shot and killed it. Officials said the animal was slain in self-defense. State wildlife managers picked up the carcass, and no citations were issued. The man's dog was not severely injured, officials said. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man kills mountain lion after it attacks dog in Buckeye neighborhood

A drama professor encouraged his students to strip. The college shrugged.
A drama professor encouraged his students to strip. The college shrugged.

USA Today

time2 days ago

  • USA Today

A drama professor encouraged his students to strip. The college shrugged.

A drama professor encouraged his students to strip. The college shrugged. | Opinion A Mesa Community College instructor encourages his female drama students to strip for a class assignment. Two months later, he was still teaching and the school is playing duck and cover. Show Caption Hide Caption Blake Lively files legal complaint against Justin Baldoni Blake Lively says "It Ends with Us" co-star Justin Baldoni sexually harassed her and tried to destroy her reputation in a California legal filing. A Mesa Community College drama teacher in Arizona encouraged his young female students to strip on stage for their midterm exam. The rest of the class was forced to watch. Students complained and not for the first time. For two months, Mace Archer was still teaching the class. And college officials? They get an A in performance art – a farcical piece entitled "How to Look Like You're Doing Something Without Doing Anything At All." "Because this is an active personnel matter, we cannot provide specific details to protect the privacy of those involved," Lindsey Wilson, spokeswoman for Maricopa Community Colleges, assured Arizona Republic reporter Robert Anglen in a May 19 email. "Our colleges," Wilson said, "take any allegations of misconduct seriously and are committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for students, faculty, and staff." So seriously, in fact, that Archer was allowed to finish out the semester, fully two months after the strip show, and was slotted in for fall classes. 'I ... sometimes can't muster up the courage to go' The lights should have come on in February, when a student in Archer's modern drama class warned college officials that he was sexualizing her performances and touching females inappropriately. Thea Moore, a musical theater major, told an administrator she dreaded going to class. "I get severe anxiety everyday before attending and sometimes can't muster up the courage to go," she wrote in a Feb. 20 email to Puvana Ganesan, who chair's the communication, theater and film arts department. "A lot of his classes are requirements for our degree, which is difficult." Opinion: Four fifth-graders planned to kill their classmate. What does that say about us? Ganesan replied the next day, saying she was "truly sorry" and asking for examples of Archer's behavior. So Moore sent a five-point list and never heard back. Eventually, she dropped the class, prompting another email from Ganesan, saying she was 'truly so sorry.' "I completely understand that sometimes, we experience discomfort that can be too great to continue," Ganesan wrote March 6. Take off your clothes for a grade Apparently, Archer's female students experience a fair amount of discomfort – enough that they've compiled a shared file of complaints, ranging from sexual harassment to rude behavior to disturbing assignments. Speaking of disturbing assignments, students in Archer's Acting 2 class this spring were required to offer a performance in which they had to face a fear. One student, Gabrielle Monroe, said the teacher steered some of the younger females toward taking off their clothes on stage to complete the March midterm assignment. "I have heard from other women that their initial idea was not enough of a fear risk, and he suggested that they remove articles of clothing," Monroe told Anglen. Two young women stripped to their underwear under the glow of the theater's stage lights, as Archer and their classmates watched. One got buck naked. Opinion: Gen Z has been priced out of a future, so we invest in the present I guess if you've got to suffer for your art, you might as well do it for your 56-year-old teacher's viewing pleasure. Hopefully, they scored an A. College officials ducked Anglen's questions about the three strip shows, saying only that they launched a 'formal investigation' in March after 'receiving concerns.' They offered no explanation for why Archer was allowed to continue teaching, finish the spring semester and was even listed as an instructor in the fall course catalogue until Anglen asked about it. (The catalogue was then changed, with the instructor listed as "staff".) My guess is Mesa Community College's "formal investigation' commenced with Anglen's phone call. My recommendation is the people who run the community colleges consider a career in comedy. "Our colleges take any allegations of misconduct seriously and are committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for students, faculty, and staff,' they say? Yeah, I'm still laughing at that one. Laurie Roberts is a columnist for The Arizona Republic, where this column originally appeared. Reach Roberts at or follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRobertsaz, on Threads at @LaurieRobertsaz and on BlueSky at @

Body found in Columbia River believed to be missing Vancouver teen
Body found in Columbia River believed to be missing Vancouver teen

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Yahoo

Body found in Columbia River believed to be missing Vancouver teen

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Police say the dead body found in the Columbia River on Friday night is believed to be the missing teen who disappeared one week earlier. Franky Fred, 18, was last seen by friends at Vancouver Lake near the Columbia River on May 23. He was wearing black Nike shoes, black pants, and a white hoodie 'with Hawaiian flowers' when he went missing, and some of his personal items were left at the beach near the Columbia River, according to police. The body was found around 5:30 p.m. by multiple people swimming near a beach in the area of the 6300 block of NW Lower River Road. Fred's family has been notified. The Clark County Medical Examiner will positively confirm the identity at a later date. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store