In a tragic sequence of events that spanned two states, 19-year-old Lanaya Lewis of Zelienople, Pennsylvania, was found deceased on March 4, 2026. Her life was cut short in a double homicide that ended with the suicide of the suspect. The discovery was made after the perpetrator himself alerted authorities to the crime.
The series of events began to unfold when A.C. Byrd Jr., 67, also of Zelienople, contacted the Hillside Police Department in Illinois to report that two deceased individuals could be found at a residence in Zelienople. After this communication, when Illinois officers arrived at his location, they found Byrd deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Following the information provided by Byrd, the Hillside police contacted the Jackson Township Police Department in Pennsylvania and requested a welfare check at Byrd's listed home address on Dior Drive. Upon their arrival, officers were required to force entry into the residence. Inside, they discovered the bodies of Lanaya Lewis and 53-year-old Amy Byrd, both of whom had been fatally shot. Authorities later confirmed that both Lewis and Amy Byrd were relatives of A.C. Byrd Jr.
The Pennsylvania State Police assumed control of the investigation, which was quickly determined to be a murder-suicide. As the perpetrator took his own life, there will be no arrests or subsequent trial in this case. The community was assured that there was no ongoing threat to the public. Neighbors in the Jackson Ridge housing development, where the family had lived for a few years, described them as friendly.
