Murder-Suicide: St Louis Mother Left Her Baby With The Father; She Returned To A Nightmare

[Sugar Cookie]

A north St. Louis mother is living through every parent’s worst nightmare—the loss of her baby in an unthinkable tragedy.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department announced Thursday they were investigating the deadly shooting of an infant girl and a man Friday in north St. Louis as a murder-suicide.
Micah Lawery's 9-month-old daughter, Ophelia Lawery-Daniels, was taken from her in what police are now investigating as a heartbreaking murder-suicide. Lawery said Ophelia’s father, 21-year-old Zacchaeus Daniels, took the baby’s life before taking his own.

"Grief is the final stage of love, and knowing that I loved her with everything I had in me," the mother said.

Lawery said she's just beginning to process the pain of losing her baby girl. She doesn't understand why this happened, but she's choosing to focus on the love they shared.


"It is somewhat a blur at times. I still can't believe that it's actually real," Lawery said. " I keep wishing and praying that I wake up from this dream, but as we get closer to everything being said and done, it's just becoming more of a reality."

Lawery ran to a beauty supply store Friday night, leaving her daughter with Daniels. But when she returned to her family's home on Cates Avenue at about 8 p.m., she entered a crime scene.

"I don't know. It's like something came over me to turn on my cell phone flashlight, and that's when I saw the scene," she said.

Lawery found her 9-month-old and Daniels together on the couch—both gone. It's an image she said will haunt her forever.

"Something that is burned into my brain. I don't need to close my eyes to see it. It's not something I can unsee," the mother said.

Daniels was pronounced dead at the scene, and the 9-month-old girl was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.

Lawery said Daniels was never violent but struggled with his mental health, something she now wants to bring awareness to.

"I don't know why. I'm pretty sure I'll never know why, and with that, I'll have to find closure in that," Lawery said. "I try not to paint him in a bad light. Knowing that as a friend, he was a great friend. As a partner, a very loving and gentle partner to me. As a father, him trying his best and doing everything he can to be a good father."

Continue reading

She went to the beauty store and left her baby with the father; she returned to a nightmare

Police are now investigating Friday's shooting in north St. Louis as a murder-suicide. The family told 5 On Your Side the baby's father killed her and then himself.

www.ksdk.com

Here is the gofundme

Donate to Help the Lawerys Through Hard Times, organized by Caitlin Munguia

It’s time to come together for our beloved Lawery-Hunter family. I have known thei… Caitlin Munguia needs your support for Help the Lawerys Through Hard Times

www.gofundme.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Ophelia Lawery-Daniels,

 

[cubby]

Awwww such a sweet, sweet face.

 

[Aedia]

What an awful thing to find. I wonder what his mental struggles were - like was it depression or was it something far more serious that could have been a red flag?
My initial instinct is to recoil in disgust in how the mother is talking about the man who killed her child, but there may be serious denial. The anger may come later, emotions just too overwhelmed to handle it right now. But I hope that it isn't a case of her refusing to see his faults.

 

[Freyja]

This serves as a cautionary tale of why you should be very selective in who you choose to have children with. Don't lay down with crazy and if you do, make sure you use birth control. And if someone seems too good to be true, more than likely they are.