In the quiet community of Amor, Minnesota, the life of 16-year-old Tabitha Lee Belmonte was tragically cut short on March 21, 2011. A sophomore at Perham High School, Tabitha was known for her kind and determined nature. She was a loving mother to a young daughter and a member of the school's speech team, balancing the challenges of teenage motherhood with her studies.
On that fateful evening, the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office received a report of gunshots at a residence near Amor.
Upon arrival, deputies discovered a devastating scene. Tabitha had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Also found with a gunshot wound was 17-year-old Dylan Taylor Cox, a former student of Perham High School. He was transported to a hospital where he died the following day from what was determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The investigation that followed concluded that Dylan Cox had shot and killed Tabitha before taking his own life in a murder-suicide. The two teenagers had been in a relationship and were living together with Dylan's parents at the time of the incident. They shared a 7-month-old daughter. Authorities recovered two semiautomatic handguns from the home. The motive behind the tragic event was not publicly detailed by law enforcement.
In the wake of this tragedy, the community and both families were left in shock and grief. Tabitha's family remembered her as a kind and gentle soul with a huge heart who always put others before herself. The devastating event left their infant daughter orphaned, leading to a subsequent custody case to determine her future care. No other suspects were sought in connection with Tabitha's death, and no arrests were made as the case was closed as a murder-suicide.
