Sherry Darlene Lydon, Dyer County, Memphis, Tennessee woman shoots and kills husband, William John Lydon Jr., shoots & injures son before dying in head on collision with semi trailer. Suspect was experiencing trauma following recent surgery.
A 60-year-old Dyer County woman in Memphis, Tennessee fatally shot her husband and wounded her son before dying in a head-on collision with an 18-wheeler in an apparent murder-suicide according to officials.
Dyer County, Memphis, Tennessee murder-suicide
Sherry Darlene Lydon fatally shot her 60-year-old husband, William John Lydon Jr., at their Tar Hill Road, Lennox area residence while he slept along with firing at the couple’s 24-year-old son, suffering gunshot wounds and being airlifted in critical condition to a trauma center, the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook release, Thursday.
The incident unfolded early Dec. 18 at the family’s residence, prompting deputies to respond to reports of a shooting.
Lydon fled the scene and intentionally rammed her vehicle into a flatbed 18-wheel semi-truck on a nearby highway, Interstate 155, described as a suicide attempt. The 60-year-old wife and mom succumbed to crash-related injuries at a regional hospital, Sheriff Jeff Box confirmed. The truck driver survived with no injuries, WBBJ-TV reported.
Box attributed the tragedy to Lydon’s suffering mental health issues after a recent surgery, where she ‘was reportedly experiencing night terrors, anxiety and sleep disturbances,’ the sheriff’s office said according to FOX13.
Recent surgery cited as trigger to gun violence
DCSO added ‘that these factors are being considered as we continue to piece together the circumstances surrounding this tragic event.’
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lydon family,’ officials further stated. No further threat to public safety exists.
Not immediately clear is what pharmaceuticals Lydon had been prescribed in the aftermath of her surgery and how that may have contributed to her destabilized state of mind.
All tips can be directed to the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office at 731-285-2802.
