Mum 'tried to sacrifice son' before killing her sweet children aged just two and nine

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

When a young mum killed both her young children who were described as 'only having love in their hearts' it shook the local community - but what she told the police when she turned herself in has sparked even more questions
A mum who killed her two small children in an alleged effort to 'sacrifice her son' may plead not guilty by reason of insanity, according to lawyers.
‌
Ashley Parmeley, 36, of Festus, Missouri, was originally charged with second-degree murder after she walked into the Festus Police Department on May 28 last year, telling police she had killed both her children earlier that day. When police searched her vehicle they found Scarlet, 9, inside the trunk, dead from multiple gunshot wounds.
‌
Parmeley first tried to kill her 2-year-old son, Isaac, in St Francois County, Missouri and then shot dead her 9-year-old daughter, The Independent reports. It comes after a woman, 20, was found dead on bus with 26 iPhones glued to her body.
‌
She later allegedly realized her son Isaac was still alive and drove north to the Timber Creek Resort, where she is said to have drowned him in a water fountain.
Parmeley is said to have told investigators that she intended to "sacrifice" Isaac before she killed both of the children, although the statement did not elaborate on what exactly Parmeley meant by sacrificing her child.
‌
She is being charged with one count of first-degree murder in Jefferson County, where she allegedly killed her son, and another charge of first-degree murder in St Francois County, where she allegedly killed her daughter.
Parmeley is being represented by a public defender and has not yet entered a plea but reports from across the pond suggest she may claim she was suffering mentally.
‌
The killings shook the community of Missouri to the core. Ginny Russell, whose daughter played baseball with Scarlet, said she would be missed and was an "amazing little girl."
"I can't fathom why this would happen to anybody, let alone to two sweet children that had nothing but love in their hearts," Brandy Trask, who lives near Ms Parmeley and whose daughter also played with Scarlet, told WEAU reporters.
Paremeley had reportedly struggled with mental health issues prior to the tragedy, according to a report by KMOV, and spoke of her struggle in a Facebook post in 2020.
"I isolated myself," she reportedly wrote at the time. "I came off as very timid and unfriendly and in all reality, I needed a friend more than anything. Always questioning if the kids would be happier or better off without me being their primary caregiver because I knew that they deserved a much better role model."
The mum had been involved in a six-year custody battle with her daughter's father and also became the guardian of her 11-year-old niece, who left Parmeley's care after turning 18.
Court records also show that Parmeley's uncle murdered his parents - Ms Parmeley's grandparents - in 1999.