In the quiet city of Spokane, Washington, a heart-wrenching tragedy unfolded on November 16, 2023, forever altering the lives of a local family. Ten-year-old Calissa Asker, a young girl with her whole life ahead of her, was found dead in her home on West Woodside Avenue. The cause of her death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the head, a devastating end to a young life.
Her death was officially ruled a homicide by the Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office.
The horror of that day extended beyond Calissa's death. Discovered alongside her was her younger sister, eight-year-old Isabelle Asker, who had also been fatally shot. Her death, too, was classified as a homicide. The girls' mother, 43-year-old Michelle Asker, was also found deceased at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head. Authorities concluded that her death was a suicide. The family's pets were also found deceased in the home.
Investigators believe the incident was a murder-suicide, with Michelle Asker being the sole suspect in the deaths of her two daughters before taking her own life. The devastating discovery was made by the girls' father when he returned home shortly before midnight. Because the primary suspect was deceased, no arrests were made in connection with the case, and law enforcement is not seeking any other suspects. The community was left to grapple with the immense loss and the unsettling circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two young sisters.
