(Photo credit: facebook)
Back in August, the story of Dr. Marsha Edwards and the mysterious alleged murder-suicide of herself and two children shocked the country. Now, an autopsy is shedding some more light on the tragic slayings.
A Cobb County Medical Examiner’s office report released this week states Edwards shot her son at least five times as he lay in bed and then shot her daughter three times in August, killing them both, before shooting herself in the chest.
The murders stunned the prominent family’s community in Atlanta as friends and family struggled to reconcile the terrible crime. The children’s father is Dr. Christopher Edwards, an orthopedic surgeon and chairman of the Atlanta Housing Authority board. He divorced Marsha Edwards in 2012, however, it seemed they still had a good relationship.
The autopsy also noted that Marsha, 58, and Erin Edwards, 20, were found in the same room, while Chris Edwards II, 24, was discovered in a separate room on another floor of the four-story townhouse where the crime took place. The family lived together in a gated community in Atlanta’s Vinings suburb. Erin Edwards was shot once in the chest and twice in the left arm.
The murder-suicide seemed out of the blue, considering that just hours before the three deaths, Marsha made an Instagram post, writing, “I’ve had the best summer, first with Chris in Miami, and Erin in Italy. I could not ask for better children.”
(Photo credit: Facebook)
“Per meeting with Detective Murphy of the Cobb County Police Department, investigation shows no evidence of a fourth party being involved in the three deaths at this residence,” Marsha Edwards’ autopsy report concludes. “Based on the information available at this time, the cause of death is certified as gunshot wound of the chest. Given the findings of the police investigation, the manner of death is certified as…
…suicide.”
The report lists a small amount of alcohol in Marsha Edwards’ system, less than the legal drinking limit. The medical examiner also told 11Alive’s Faith Abubey it could have been a byproduct of body decomposition.
A neighbor of the family, who reportedly lived in a wealthy gated townhouse community just 12 miles outside downtown Atlanta, says she believed the family was happy and had no major in-fighting between themselves.
“From our knowledge, no malice between the children or nothing like that. They just seemed like a normal happy family,” they said to WTVM.
By subscribing, you consent to receive emails from BlackDoctor.com. You may unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service.
