When Texas mom Savannah Kriger, 32, and her son, 3-year-old Kaiden Kriger, went missing on March 18, police desperately hoped they'd find the pair alive. The mom had reportedly picked up her son from day care around 2 p.m. that day, but no one heard from the pair again.
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office issued an Amber Alert, and her 2023 Lincoln Aviator was found abandoned a short time later. The mother and son were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds the next day. Their deaths were initially investigated as a homicide.
Sheriff Javier Salazar released new details about the last moments of the family's life in a news conference posted on Facebook on May 2. Tragically, it appears the mother shot her son and then took her own life in an apparent murder-suicide.
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Kriger and her ex-husband were reportedly fighting for custody of their son.
Salazar explained that prior to her death, Kriger reportedly left work just before 1 p.m. on March 18 and went to her ex-husband's home where she damaged personal items belonging to the man. She then apparently traveled to her own home in San Antonio.
Police believe she was alone at the time and got out both her wedding dress and photos from her wedding and proceeded to shoot holes in them with a firearm. "They seemed to be displayed on the bed, and there were bullet holes in them," Salazar said.
He added that the shell casings found in her residence matched those at the crime scene the next day.
She allegedly picked up her son from day care and contacted her ex.
According to police, Kriger's next stop was to pick up Kaiden at day care. A short time later, she FaceTimed her ex. During that call, she allegedly told the dad, "You won't have anything at all at the end of the day."
Her ex-husband became concerned and called police.
Kriger allegedly tried to contact her ex-husband several more times.
While her ex-husband was contacting police, Kriger's call log reportedly shows she attempted to FaceTime him again and allegedly sent a text that read, "Say goodbye to your son."
After unsuccessfully attempting to contact her ex, the mom apparently recorded a 21-second video of herself and the couple's young son seated in the drainage ditch, where their bodies were ultimately discovered the next day.
She told her son to say "bye to daddy," apologized to the boy for his father not being there, and gave him a kiss, Salazar said.
Police said Kriger did not record herself killing Kaiden.
The video ends before the boy's death, according to Salazar. "There's nothing graphic about the video, except for the fact that knowing what we know now about what happened in the moments after that, it's pretty obvious what's about to happen," he said during the news conference.
In addition, Salazar confirmed the mother allegedly looked up cartoons on her phone moments before the deadly shooting.
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The mother and child were found the next day.
Salazar explained that police could not locate Kriger and Kaiden until the next morning. He added that the parents were due in court the day the bodies were found. He emphasized it was purely speculation as to what would have happened in court that day or if it had anything to do with Kriger's motive.
Note: If you or any of your loved ones are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can always reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling 988. They are available 24/7 by phone or online chat.
