Story Published:
Jun 11, 2009 at 12:12 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Jun 11, 2009 at 5:50 PM CDT
COLE CAMP, Mo. -- Law officers say autopsies show a couple and their granddaughter who were killed in their home were all shot once. Beyond that, detectives say they have no suspects and no motive for the killings.
The victims were Donnie Luetjen, 64, his wife, Sharon, 61, and their granddaughter, Taron, 15.
At a news conference on Thursday morning, officers said the murders happened in the family's home on Elm Street where the bodies were. They wouldn't talk about the possible times of death or how the bodies were arranged in the home. With the help of relatives, detectives are checking to see if anything is missing, which might indicate the motive for the killings was robbery.
Taron lived with her grandparents most of her life after her father, a son of Donnie and Sharon, died in a car accident. The Luetjens petitioned a judge to have legal custody instead of Taron's mother, Debra Kost. Taron just completed her sophomore year at Cole Camp High School.
A friend of Taron told a reporter that she and Taron were exchanging text messages on Sunday night about their plans for the next day but Taron stopped texting and answering calls after 10:30 Sunday night. Taron missed drivers education classes on Monday and Tuesday, prompting a call to Cole Camp police, who found the bodies late Tuesday morning.
