Authorities in Missouri are investigating the fatal shooting of a mother of two, pregnant with twins, who was found slain in her home last month.
BreAnna Johnson, 28, was found dead at her Wentzville, Mo., residence on Oct. 31, local police said at the time.
Johnson was not named in the statement, but a GoFundMe set up by her family, as well as reports by First Alert 4 and FOX 2 Now, identified her as the victim.
Wentzville police say they arrested 39-year-old Darryl Tyson Jr. on Oct. 31 and charged him with domestic violence, related to an incident from the day prior to the shooting. He has not been charged in connection with the killing.
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The investigation began at about 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 31, when law enforcement responded to a report of a shooting at the Katie Lynn Court residence, the police statement said.
They found Johnson deceased at the scene, and her two children who were physically unharmed. Tyson was taken into custody for questioning, police said.
According to Johnson’s mother, she was four months pregnant with twins at the time of the killing, First Alert 4 reported. One of her two children is a 6-month-old and the other child is nearly 2 years old, and Tyson is their father, according to the fundraiser.
The victim’s mother, Janette Giddens, alleges that Johnson had been physically abused, and received “brutal beatings” from Tyson, per First Alert 4.
Johnson had reportedly been seeking support from an organization working with domestic violence victims, per FOX 2 Now.
Dr. Cynthia Bennett, founder of the Journey Against Domestic and Sexual Abuse, told the outlet that Johnson had reached out to them for help in January, when she was 7-months-pregnant with her other child.
“She was reaching out for safety,” Bennett said. “She was afraid for her life.”
On the day before the killing, police responded to her residence in relation to a domestic dispute, First Alert 4 reported, citing unspecified court documents. Tyson was accused of “throwing a phone striking Victim 1 in the head” in that incident.
In the GoFundMe set up to assist Johnson’s surviving children, her family described her death as an “unconscionable loss.”
“Messiah and Jeremiah will never know first-hand the loving mother who was so beautiful and happy with her babies,” reads the plea for financial assistance for Johnson’s burial.
Wentzville police says they are working with the St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to pursue other charges against Tyson in connection with Johnson’s killing.
Tyson is currently being held on $500,000 bond, per police. It wasn’t immediately clear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.
