Four family members were found shot to death inside a Waverly home Friday morning after deputies conducted a welfare check, and preliminary findings indicate a 32-year-old mother killed her two sons and their great-grandmother before turning the gun on herself, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said Saturday.
Authorities identified the dead as 4-year-old Arius Thompson; 13-year-old Isaiah Johnson; and 88-year-old Evelyn Johnson, along with the suspected shooter, Heather Thompson, 32. The case has shaken this city about 65 miles west of Nashville, where Davis said he knew the family. Investigators recovered a firearm in the home and emphasized there is no broader threat to the public. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation joined the case to process the scene as autopsies proceed and detectives map out a timeline leading up to the killings. Officials said final determinations on sequence and motive will depend on laboratory findings and the medical examiner’s reports.
Deputies were dispatched to the house in the 1100 block of East Little Richland Road on Friday, Jan. 2, after a request for a welfare check. Davis did not identify who made the request. When deputies entered, they found two women and two boys dead from gunshot wounds in separate areas of the residence. “We only get one shot at these things,” Davis said at a briefing, adding that investigators would move carefully out of respect for the victims. By early afternoon, cruisers blocked the road, crime-scene tape stretched across the driveway and technicians began photographing rooms and collecting shell casings as neighbors watched from a distance.
On Saturday, Davis released the names and said initial evidence indicates Heather Thompson shot and killed the three relatives and then herself. He cautioned that autopsy results and forensics will confirm the order of shots and distances. Investigators did not immediately disclose the caliber of the weapon, the number of rounds fired or where each victim was located inside the home. Detectives canvassed nearby houses for doorbell footage, checked calls for service tied to the address and began interviews with relatives and friends about recent stressors. All four were described as longtime Humphreys County residents.
The single-story home sits on Waverly’s edge along East Little Richland Road, a corridor of small farms and ranch-style houses. Neighbors said deputies arrived quickly and asked people to keep clear as yellow tape went up. One resident said the lights from patrol cars “made everyone go still” as word spread that children were among the dead. Pastors and relatives quietly cycled through the cordon as investigators worked into the evening, pausing to rotate personnel and meet with chaplains. By dusk, an evidence truck idled near the mailbox while crime-scene specialists logged measurements and tagged items for collection.
Standard steps in a death investigation unfolded through the night. TBI agents mapped bullet trajectories, documented bloodstain patterns and swabbed likely touch points for DNA and prints. Technicians secured phones and other electronics for data downloads. The medical examiner will determine the cause and manner of death for each victim, starting with radiology and external examinations before full autopsies. Those findings, coupled with gunshot residue tests and time-of-death estimates, will either confirm or contradict the preliminary murder-suicide assessment. If needed, analysts will compare ballistic markings from the recovered firearm to projectiles retrieved during autopsy to ensure they match.
Deputies said they are building a timeline of the family’s last known movements, including phone calls, pharmacy records and any recent school attendance notes for the boys. Investigators are also looking for past welfare checks or disturbances at the address. Davis, who said he personally knew members of the family, declined to discuss any prior calls but noted that small-town agencies often rely on community input to piece together the days before a crisis. Officials stressed that while a suspected shooter is among the dead, the case remains active until autopsies and lab reports are complete and a full narrative can be documented.
Waverly, a community of about 4,500 along the Duck River, still bears memories of the 2021 flash flood that killed 20 people and reshaped local emergency response. Residents described Friday’s discovery as another test of the town’s resilience. Parents who stopped near the roadblock said the ages of the boys hit hard. A family friend left flowers by the mailbox, and a small cluster of neighbors gathered quietly under bare trees as detectives moved between the yard and front entry. “This is heartbreaking,” one neighbor said, declining to give a name out of respect for relatives.
While investigators examine evidence, officials said victim services and chaplains are available for relatives and first responders. Local schools said counselors could be on hand when classes resume, given the ages of the children and the scope of the loss. Pastors who visited the scene said prayer groups were forming for extended family members and the neighborhood. The sheriff thanked first responders and TBI agents for working through the night and said his office would provide updates when there are confirmed findings to share.
Procedurally, the case now moves through several steps. The medical examiner will issue preliminary autopsy summaries in the coming days, followed by detailed reports. TBI will finalize scene maps, lab submissions and a ballistic comparison report linking the recovered firearm to the wounds, if supported. The sheriff’s office will compile a final case file with photographs, diagrams, 911 audio and interview transcripts. Because the suspected shooter is deceased, no arrests are expected, but the investigative packet will be closed only after all forensic reports return and the manner of death for each victim is certified.
By Saturday afternoon, portions of East Little Richland Road reopened, though a patrol unit remained posted while technicians finished collecting interior evidence. Deputies said the home would stay secured until the scene release, and relatives would be notified before any personal items are removed. Funeral details were not immediately available. Davis said his office would share additional information once the medical examiner provides initial findings and after all next-of-kin notifications are complete.
As of Saturday, autopsies for all four victims were pending and investigators said they expect to share preliminary manners of death in the coming days. The sheriff’s office plans another update after laboratory reports return and the medical examiner’s office delivers its first summaries.
Author note: Last updated January 3, 2026.