Betty Jedrey, an 85-year-old woman from Stanwood, Michigan, was one of three family members found dead on April 22, 2026, inside a home on Edgewater Drive in the Canadian Lakes area of Morton Township. She was found with her husband, 79-year-old George Jedrey, and their 64-year-old son, Thomas Pinard, who authorities identified as the homeowner. The discovery began as a welfare check after a concerned family member reported being unable to reach the people inside the residence.
When Mecosta County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home around 10:30 a.m., the scene did not immediately show signs of an outside break-in. Vehicles registered to the occupants were in the driveway, the residence appeared secured, and an exterior check reportedly found no damage, no unsecured entrances, and no signs of tampering. As a deputy looked through a window, they saw a person deceased inside the home, which led deputies to force entry. Once inside, they found Betty, George, and Thomas dead from apparent gunshot wounds.
Investigators described the deaths as a murder-suicide based on the preliminary evidence found at the scene. Sheriff Brian Miller indicated that the early belief was that Thomas Pinard shot his parents and then died by suicide. Authorities said there was no evidence that anyone else was present or involved, and they reassured the public that there was no continuing danger to the community.
No arrests were made because the suspected killer was among the deceased. No outside suspect was being sought, and no charges or court proceedings were expected unless the investigation uncovered evidence contradicting the initial murder-suicide determination. Officials also said they had not yet determined what led to the violence, and the case remained under investigation with assistance from local emergency responders, victim services, dispatch, the medical examiner’s group, and funeral home personnel.
The deaths shook the quiet Canadian Lakes community, where neighbors described the incident as deeply out of character for the area. Reports described George and Betty as a married couple living in the home with their son, who had been identified as a caretaker for his parents. What began as a routine welfare check ended with the discovery of an entire household gone, leaving investigators with the grim task of piecing together why a family home had become the scene of a fatal domestic tragedy.
