Police: Missouri Mother Murders Both Children, Tries to ‘Sacrifice’ Son Before Drowning Him

A Missouri woman has been charged with first degree murder after reportedly admitting to killing both of her children, telling officers she attempted to “sacrifice” her two-year-old son.

Ashley Parmeley, 36, turned herself into the Festus Police Department last week to confess to the murders of her children, the Daily Mail reported. 

The madwoman recounted how she allegedly shot and killed her nine-year-old daughter, Scarlet, and tried to “sacrifice” her son Isaac in St. Francois County before realizing her attempt at killing him had failed, court documents revealed.

Parmeley was driving north with Scarlet’s dead body and Isaac in the vehicle when she noticed her son was still alive, according to records obtained by Fox 8 New Orleans.

That’s when she finished the horrific deed by drowning the toddler at Timber Creek Resort, investigators allege.

Scarlet was found dead of a gunshot wound in Parmeley’s car in the parking lot of the Festus Police Department, while little Isaac’s body was found in a water fountain at the resort about 13 miles away.

Parmeley’s original second degree murder charge for the death of her son was upgraded to murder in the first degree on Wednesday after the details of his drowning were uncovered, the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said Parmeley called police from the parking lot of the station, saying she had shot and drowned her children, KSDK reported. 

The woman was wet and “a little disheveled” when police came outside, Marshak said at a solemn press conference:

“This situation is a tragedy for our community. It’s a tragedy for the family and the victims and anybody that knows this family,” the sheriff said.

The St. Louis outlet reported about mental health concerns regarding Parmeley for years, up until hours before the double murder. 

There were, indeed, concerns about Parmeley’s mental health. In the hours leading up to her children’s killings, Parmeley changed her profile photo to a black screen.

In 2020, Parmeley posted about her struggle with depression. Part of her post read, “I isolated myself. 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.”

Family court records show that the woman and Scarlet’s father were in a battle for their daughter from 2015 to 2021.

Parmeley is now in the Jefferson County Jail without bond and could be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole if found guilty of both first degree murder charges.

Fundraisers have been launched to cover the funeral costs of both Scarlet and Isaac.