On the evening of November 16, 2020, Cheryl Kane, a 68-year-old Caucasian woman, returned to her Wayland, Massachusetts home from her job as the well-respected treasurer for the town of Maynard, just days before her planned retirement. As she exited her car in the garage, she was tragically shot and killed. The person responsible was her 41-year-old son, Richard Kane, Jr., who then took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The grim discovery was made later that evening when a resident of the house called 911 around 8:05 p.m. to report two deaths. When Wayland police arrived at the Adelaide Avenue home, they found both Cheryl and Richard Kane Jr. in the garage. Investigators believe the incident was a murder-suicide. Neighbors later recalled hearing loud bangs around 4:45 p.m. that day, hours before the bodies were found.
In the wake of the tragedy, Cheryl Kane's family remembered her as an "incredible mom" and a loving friend who radiated kindness. They revealed that her son, Richard, had struggled with mental health issues throughout his life and had received treatment at multiple facilities in the months leading up to the incident. The family expressed their profound sadness that professional help and their love could not prevent the tragic outcome. There were no arrests to be made as the suspect was deceased at the scene.
