Cobb County police are investigating after a mother and her young daughter were found shot to death inside a vehicle near Milford Baptist Church on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Officers responded to 1030 Milford Church Road around 10:45 a.m., about 15 minutes before the church's scheduled Sunday service, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. Both the mother and daughter were "beyond life-saving measures" when officers arrived, the Cobb County Police Department said.
The department has not released the victims' identities. Sources confirmed to WSB-TV Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell that the child was 2 years old.
Police said there are no outstanding suspects. WSB-TV reported that unnamed sources described the case as a suspected murder-suicide. The Cobb County Police Department has not publicly confirmed that characterization, referring to the case as a death investigation.
A source told 11Alive reporter Cody Alcorn that the vehicle was parked near a woodline in the church parking lot. 11Alive reported there is no indication the two had a specific connection to the church.
Jessica Veasley told the station she knew the mother and daughter through a program at the church that helps single mothers. Veasley said she had been with them days before the shooting.
"That child didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve it," Veasley told WSB-TV.
Veasley told the station she had tried to encourage the mother to keep going. The nature of their relationship and the family's connection to the church have not been confirmed by police or church officials.
The church's pastor sent a note to the congregation after the shooting, according to WSB-TV. The pastor urged members to reach out to mental health professionals for support. The pastor's name has not been publicly reported.
The Cobb County Police Department's Major Crimes Unit is leading the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call 770-499-3945.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
