Four family members were found shot to death inside a Waverly home during a Friday morning welfare check, and early findings indicate a mother killed her two sons and their great-grandmother before taking her own life, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said Saturday.
Authorities identified the dead as Arius Thompson, 4; Isaiah Thompson, 13; and Evelyn Johnson, 88, along with 32-year-old Heather Thompson. The discovery has shaken this city of roughly 4,500, about 65 miles west of Nashville, where the sheriff said he personally knew the family. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is assisting with forensics while autopsies proceed to confirm timelines and ballistics. Investigators emphasized there is no active threat to the public and said the house remains secured as a crime scene. The case now turns on laboratory findings and interviews that could clarify motive and the sequence of shots inside the single-story residence.
Deputies were sent to the home in the 1100 block of East Little Richland Road around midmorning Friday, Jan. 2, after someone requested a welfare check, according to the sheriff. When deputies entered, they found two women and two boys dead from gunshot wounds in separate areas of the residence. A firearm was recovered inside. Davis grew emotional at a briefing, saying he would not describe the interior scene. “We only get one shot at these things,” Davis said. “We’re going to make sure we do the very best we can for our victims.” By early afternoon, cruisers blocked the road, crime-scene tape stretched across the driveway and detectives moved between the yard and front entry as neighbors watched from a distance.
On Saturday, Davis publicly released names and said preliminary investigation indicates Heather Thompson shot the other three victims and then herself. He stressed that final conclusions depend on the medical examiner’s autopsy and corroborating lab work. Investigators did not immediately discuss the type of weapon, the number of shots fired or where each person was found in the home. Detectives canvassed nearby houses for doorbell or security video and checked recent calls for service linked to the address. The sheriff said all four were longtime Humphreys County residents. He declined to say who requested the welfare check, citing the active case.
Waverly sits along the Duck River in Humphreys County, a largely rural area still marked by the 2021 flash flood that killed 20 people and reshaped local emergency response. East Little Richland Road cuts through a pocket of single-family homes and small farms on the city’s edge. Neighbors said deputies arrived quickly Friday and asked residents to avoid the area as evidence markers appeared on the lawn. One woman said the lights from patrol cars “made everyone go still” as word spread that children were among the dead. Pastors and relatives came and left quietly as investigators worked into the afternoon and evening, pausing only to rotate personnel and meet with chaplains.
TBI agents assisted with scene mapping, photography and evidence collection. Standard steps include documenting bloodstain patterns, measuring bullet trajectories, swabbing for DNA and fingerprints, and downloading data from any recovered phones. The medical examiner’s office will establish the precise cause and manner of death for each victim, likely starting with radiology and external examinations before full autopsies. Those findings, along with gunshot residue tests and time-of-death estimates, will determine whether the preliminary assessment aligns with the physical evidence. If needed, analysts will compare ballistic markings from the recovered firearm to projectiles collected during autopsy.
Officials said the next phase centers on interviews with relatives, friends and neighbors to understand recent stressors, any domestic incidents and the household’s routine. Investigators are also checking for recent pharmacy records, protection orders, school attendance notes and prior welfare checks. If any previous calls to the residence are found, they will be added to the case timeline. Davis said his office will release additional updates after next-of-kin notifications are complete and after the medical examiner provides an initial summary to investigators.
Because investigators believe the shooter is among the dead, no arrests are anticipated. Any final report will typically include a narrative of the welfare check, scene diagrams, photographs and laboratory certificates. The sheriff’s office said the home will remain under control until all evidence is processed and the family can make arrangements. Funeral details were not immediately available. Local schools said counselors could be available if needed once classes resume, given the ages of the children and the scope of the loss to the community.
By Saturday afternoon, the road was partially reopened but patrol units remained posted while technicians finished collecting evidence. A family friend left flowers near the mailbox as a small group stood quietly across the street. “This is heartbreaking,” a neighbor said, declining to give a name out of respect for relatives. Davis thanked first responders and noted that chaplains were available for personnel. He said the community has rallied in difficult moments before and would do so again.
As of Saturday, the autopsies were pending and authorities said they expect to share preliminary findings, including official manners of death, in the coming days. The sheriff’s office plans another update once the medical examiner’s office returns its first results and all family notifications are complete.
Author note: Last updated January 3, 2026.