Five dead in apparent murder-suicide

GREENHILL - Two women and their children and the man suspected of shooting them at a Greenhill residence this morning are all dead, authorities said.

Kevin Garner’s body was found just after 3:30 p.m. today in a wooded area near the home he and his estranged wife formerly shared in the Priceville community of Morgan County.

Law enforcement agents say Garner, 45, killed his wife, daughter, sister and nephew at a house on Lauderdale 73 in Greenhill either late Monday night or just after midnight today.

Tammy Garner, 40, and the couple’s 16-year-old daughter, Chelsie, were killed at their residence, which is near Heritage Chase subdivision. They moved there about a year ago when divorce proceedings were initiated in Morgan County, family friends told the TimesDaily.

Also killed were Kevin Garner’s sister and 11-year-old nephew, who were staying overnight at the Greenhill residence. Their names were not immediately released by law enforcement officials.

Tammy and Kevin Garner were scheduled to appear at a divorce hearing Wednesday morning in the Morgan County Courthouse. They were married in 1987 in Lauderdale County, based on courthouse records.

Kevin Garner’s sister, who traveled with her son from Illinois, was scheduled to testify on behalf of Tammy Garner in Wednesday’s divorce hearing.

Chelsie Garner was a junior at Rogers High School in Greenhill, where she played softball, school officials said.

One investigator said the deaths likely occurred around midnight on Monday night.

A family member found the bodies this morning and contacted the sheriff’s office at about 8:25 a.m., according to Sheriff Ronnie Willis.

Tammy Garner’s green Subaru Legacy was found burned in Priceville, investigators said. They added that the couple’s house at 187 Old Somerville Road in Priceville was destroyed in a fire overnight. Priceville volunteer firefighters were called to the house at 2:59 a.m.

“There is no question this fire was intentionally set,” Morgan County Chief Deputy Mike Corley told The Decatur Daily.

Garner’s body was found this afternoon in a wooded area. Authorities said it appears he killed himself.

Authorities say Garner leased a 2009 Hyundai Sonata on Monday night from Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Decatur. The vehicle was found this afternoon parked between two houses on Lauderdale 73, about one-half mile from the residence where the shooting occurred.

Rogers High School Principal Tim Tubbs said the school was “locked down” as a precautionary measure to prevent anyone from entering the school without an escort.

Rogers houses the elementary and high schools.

“It’s typical protocol, and what this means is that all exterior doors will be locked and teachers will escort any students to wherever they need to go in the building,” Tubbs said.