9-Year-Old Girl, Mother Found Tied Up And Shot Dead At Home

A 27-year-old woman and her 9-year-old daughter were found tied up and shot to death inside their St. Louis, Missouri home on Wednesday, Aug. 11.

Police officers were called to the scene after the deceased woman’s mother found her daughter and granddaughter lying unresponsive inside the home, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) Chief John Hayden told reporters.

The woman had dropped by her daughter’s house on Wednesday afternoon after her daughter failed to answer her phone.

Responding officers found the victims tied up and shot dead. Social workers were called to the "trauma-inducing" scene to console the woman who discovered her deceased family members, Hayden said.

"It's traumatic for anybody involved, whether it be [emergency medical service workers], whether it be department personnel officers, anybody that's exposed to that scene would be affected by it," Hayden said of the crime scene.

Michael Johnson and Somine Reese, both of them members of an NGO called Cure Violence arrived at the scene to support the community

"Words can’t even come out of my mouth because I’m just so emotional," said Johnson.

Reese added: "It’s heartbreaking to keep hearing about women and children getting killed."

Police have begun an investigation and were questioning neighbors about whether they heard gunshots or witnessed anything suspicious. They are inspecting local surveillance video footage with the hope to gain a lead into the investigation.

So far, the investigators haven't identified any possible suspects or motives. Hayden urges people with any information about the fatal incident to step forward and report to the authorities.

"I'm asking the community to assist the police department in this investigation so that we can hold any and everybody accountable in this tragic situation," Hayden told local news station KSDK-TV.

Everett King, who lives in the neighborhood, described the incident as a "tragedy".

"Words can’t comprehend how you feel in your heart," King said.

"We are in an epidemic and just the things that happen day to day just – just a tragedy," he said. "It almost makes you feel like giving up."

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 866-3671-TIPS.