A pregnant Colorado mom fatally shot her toddler son before turning the weapon on herself in Rocky Mountain National Park, according to a new report.
The bodies of Tristen Watson, 24, of Colorado Springs, and her 17-month-old son, Christopher, were discovered Friday afternoon as rangers searched for a reportedly suicidal person, The Coloradoan reported.
Both bodies were turned over to the Larimer County coroner’s office, which determined in a Monday autopsy that Christopher had suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
His mother died by suicide, the autopsy concluded.
Watson’s car was discovered near Upper Beaver Meadows Road within the park, authorities said.
The investigation is ongoing, as is standard practice, park officials said in a news release obtained by the outlet.
In November, Watson posted to Facebook that she was pregnant with a girl due in June.
The coroner’s office did not confirm whether she was pregnant at the time of her death, but an online obituary indicates three lives were lost, including an Aspen Watson.
Tristen’s distraught husband, Derrick Watson, took to Facebook on Monday with a smiling photo of the couple and Christopher.
“I have been trying to find the words, but I simply have no words for the pain that this family is going through right now,” he wrote. “Three lives taken far too soon… if you are struggling or know someone that is, please reach out to them. If they are unwilling themselves, seek the help they need for them, make them get the help. It should never end like this. The burden passed onto others is far greater than any burden you may be facing.”
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