Heather Michell Johnson Thompson

Mass Murderer

Heather Michell Johnson Thompson and the 2026 Waverly Family Murders

Discovery of Four Family Members

On the morning of January 2, 2026, deputies conducting a welfare check at a home on East Little Richland Road near Waverly, Tennessee, discovered four members of one family dead from apparent gunshot wounds. The victims included two young boys, their 88-year-old great-grandmother and 32-year-old Heather Michell Johnson Thompson. Investigators with the Humphreys County Sheriff's Office said the evidence indicated that Thompson had fatally shot the other three family members before taking her own life. The deaths shocked Waverly and the surrounding Humphreys County community, where the family was known to local residents and law-enforcement officials. Sheriff Chris Davis became visibly emotional while discussing the investigation and emphasized that authorities intended to treat the victims and their relatives with dignity. Officials said there was no continuing danger to the public and no immediate evidence that another person had entered the residence or participated in the killings.

The Welfare Check and Crime Scene

Deputies were sent to the residence at approximately 8:30 a.m. after someone requested a welfare check. Inside the home, they found the bodies of two adult women and two juvenile boys. All four had suffered fatal gunshot wounds. The property quickly became the center of a homicide investigation involving the Humphreys County Sheriff's Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Authorities identified the alleged shooter as Heather Michell Johnson Thompson, who was born on August 13, 1993, and was 32 years old at the time of her death. Preliminary findings led investigators to believe that Thompson shot her sons, 13-year-old Isaiah Johnson and 4-year-old Arius Thompson, as well as her 88-year-old grandmother, Evelyn Johnson. Investigators said Thompson then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The sheriff's office described the case as a murder-suicide based on the physical evidence collected inside the home. No indication of forced entry was reported, and investigators did not identify an outside suspect. Officials nevertheless continued examining the crime scene, reviewing the family's circumstances and awaiting medical and toxicology findings before completing their investigation.

The Victims

• Isaiah Johnson, 13: Isaiah was Heather Thompson's older son. He was found fatally shot inside the family residence on East Little Richland Road near Waverly, Tennessee, on January 2, 2026. Family members described him as a strong student who enjoyed sports, playing the trumpet and spending time with video games. Some early reports spelled his first name as "Isiah," but family statements and other coverage identified him as Isaiah Johnson.
• Arius Thompson, 4: Arius, also known affectionately as Ari, was Thompson's younger son. He was killed in the same Waverly residence on January 2, 2026. His father remembered him as a cheerful child who enjoyed riding his tricycle and playing with his older brother.
• Evelyn Johnson, 88: Evelyn was Heather Thompson's grandmother and the great-grandmother of Isaiah and Arius. She was found fatally shot inside the East Little Richland Road home on January 2, 2026. Authorities initially described her as the children's grandmother in some public statements, while later reports clarified her relationship as Heather's grandmother.

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Confirmed Victims: (4)

Isaiah Johnson 13 yr old Male

Father talks after wife allegedly kills two sons and grandma in Tennessee ...