In a quiet hotel room in Eureka, Missouri, the innocent life of six-year-old Alexis Church was tragically cut short on September 29, 2015. The young, female, Caucasian girl was discovered deceased alongside her fifty-year-old grandmother, Colleen Church, at a Holiday Inn near Six Flags St. Louis. The discovery was made by hotel staff around 11:30 a.m. after the pair failed to check out of their room on time.
Both were found in bed, fully clothed, having sustained fatal gunshot wounds to the head.
The events leading up to the grim discovery began when Colleen picked up her granddaughter from school for what she had described as a 'girl's night out,' an activity they often enjoyed together. However, concern grew when Colleen failed to respond to calls and text messages from Alexis's father, Michael. Michael shared custody of Alexis with his mother, Colleen, following a separation from Alexis's mother. Investigations into the tragedy revealed that Colleen had been under considerable emotional distress. She had recently experienced the loss of her husband and a son, who had died from a drug overdose. In addition to these personal tragedies, she was also preparing to become the primary caretaker for her elderly mother.
Authorities swiftly ruled the incident a murder-suicide. The investigation concluded that Colleen Church, overwhelmed by her personal grief and mounting pressures, was responsible for the death of her granddaughter before taking her own life. No suicide note was found in the hotel room. Autopsies confirmed that both Alexis and Colleen died from single gunshot wounds. As the case was determined to be a murder-suicide, there were no other suspects, and no arrests were made in connection with the deaths. The community was left to mourn the heartbreaking loss of a young child and her troubled grandmother.
