In the quiet town of Parsons, Kansas, a devastating series of events unfolded on the evening of September 29, 2019, culminating in the tragic death of 7-year-old Elisabeth Lizzy Castorena, a Caucasian female. The night began with violence when Parsons Police responded to a report of gunfire shortly before 11:00 PM. Upon their arrival, they discovered a man, Joshua Bode, who had been shot twice in the face.
Bode was romantically involved with the estranged wife of Zachary Castorena.
The suspect in the shooting, 27-year-old Zachary Castorena, who was also Lizzy's father, had already fled the scene. A short time later, he contacted police dispatch, making threats to take his own life and the life of his young daughter. This initiated a tense standoff as officers quickly located him at his residence and established a perimeter. They attempted to negotiate with him, using a loudspeaker to try and de-escalate the volatile situation.
Fearing for the little girl's immediate safety, two officers made the difficult decision to make an emergency entry into the home. Inside, they made a horrific discovery. Zachary Castorena had shot his daughter in the head before turning the gun on himself. Emergency services rushed Lizzy to a local hospital, and she was then airlifted to a medical center in Springfield, Missouri, in a desperate attempt to save her. Tragically, her injuries were too severe, and she passed away in the early morning hours of September 30, 2019. Zachary Castorena was pronounced dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The case was determined to be a murder-suicide, with Zachary Castorena as the sole suspect in his daughter's death.
