In the quiet early morning hours of April 27, 2024, a devastating tragedy unfolded within a Lowell, Massachusetts apartment that claimed the life of seven-year-old Giselle Johns. Giselle, a young Black female, was found deceased inside her home on Warren Street. The events that led to her death began to unfold at 6:39 a.m. when the Lowell Police received a chilling 911 call from a man who lived in the residence.
The caller, identified as 52-year-old Steven Johns, informed the dispatcher
that he had just shot his wife and child. When police officers arrived at the Bagshaw Mills Condominium complex, they discovered a horrific scene. Inside the apartment, they found the bodies of Giselle and her 45-year-old mother, Kaydion Dawson. Both had been fatally shot. The caller, Steven Johns, was also found deceased from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The investigation into the deaths of Giselle and her mother was conducted by the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the District Attorney's Office, and the Lowell Police Department. Authorities have characterized the incident as a murder-suicide, with Steven Johns being the sole suspect in the deaths of his daughter and wife. A possible motive for the killings has not been released to the public.
The case was referred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to officially determine the cause and manner of the deaths. The incident left the community in shock and mourning the senseless loss of a young life.
