The family of NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson suffered a gruesome tragedy on Monday in an apparent murder-suicide that claimed the life of his mother-in-law, father-in-law and 11-year-old nephew.
Muskogee Police say they found all three dead from gunshot wounds in their Oklahoma home shortly after 9 p.m. Monday evening—after receiving a 911 call from a woman who reported someone with a gun, then hung up.
When they arrived on scene, cops said they found a body laying in the hallway. Then, they heard another gunshot ring out inside the home. The two remaining bodies were found afterwards.
ADVERTISEMENT
Police believe that Johnson’s mother-in-law, Terry Lynn Janway, shot her husband Jack and their grandson Dalton, before turning the gun on herself. Cops are yet to reveal a motive for the horrific shooting, but they’re treating 68-year-old Terry as the suspect as the investigation continues.
Muskogee Police Officer Lynn Hamlin told the Muskogee Phoenix that there “appears there’s no threat to the community” and it’s “looking very likely that it’s a murder-suicide.”
FOX23 reported that it was Terry who made the 911 call.
“It was traumatizing to find out that a long-standing family who had made so many contributions to our community were involved in this type of incident,” Muskogee Mayor Marlon Coleman told FOX23. “It was even more bone-chilling to find out there was a child involved.”
Coleman said he knew the Janway family, and that he had been a patient of Jack’s—a prominent chiropractor in Muskogee.
“I knew Dr. Janway. Dr. Janway has worked on me, we’ve been acquaintances for a very, very long time since I’ve been in Muskogee,” Coleman said. “Just knowing that it was him and his family took a different toll on me.”
Johnson and his wife, Chandra, have been married since 2004. They have two daughters together.
Johnson is scheduled to race in this weekend’s NASCAR Chicago street race.
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. You can also text or dial 988.
