A New Hampshire mom may have shot and killed her toddler son before turning the weapon on herself inside the family’s secluded cottage home, authorities said.
Another resident of the house in the woods on Pembroke Hill Road called 911 around 1 a.m. Friday after reportedly hearing two gunshots, according to the Pembroke Police Department.
Julia Byrne and toddler son Blake were in an upstairs bedroom, each with with single gunshot wounds to the head, police said.
The mom, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene, while her child was rushed to a local hospital, where he died.
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New Hampshire authorities are investigating whether Julia Byrne, 26, fatally shot her three-year-old son, Blake Byrne, and then herself inside their cottage home Friday. Julia Byrne/Facebook
The case is being investigated at a possible murder and suicide, the New Hampshire Department of Justice said.
The site of the shooting, a two-story yellow shingled house at the top of a hill along a usually serene rural area, was cordoned off with crime scene tape early Friday as investigators took forensic photos, according to the Concord Monitor.
“I don’t know who lived there, and I don’t think I ever saw them come out of the house,” Ryan Demers, a neighbor who has lived on Pembroke Hill Road for two years, told the news outlet.
A witness called 911 after hearing two gunshots at the home, authorities said. WMUR-TV
“As far I knew, they pretty much kept to themselves,” he added.
Julia Byrne’s social media is filled with happy pictures of her and her son on hikes and picnics, but she had also shared a number of troubling posts about struggling with her mental health and the challenges of being a mother, the Daily Mail first reported.
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Julia Byrne holding her son Blake in wooded area. Julia Byrne/FacebookJulia Byrne enlisted in the US Army in 2018. Julia Byrne/Facebook
Byrne enlisted in the US Army in 2018. It is unclear if Byrne graduated basic training or was an active military member at the time of her death.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
Uncertainty surrounds federal child care subsidies for New Hampshire following a Trump administration announcement that has frozen funding nationwide. On Dec. 30, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill announced on X that the Administration of Children and Families will now “require a justification and a receipt or photo evidence” before it […]
A prelicensed therapist who had been practicing in Bow, N.H., was arrested Monday based on an allegation that he sexually assaulted a patient during an in-office visit, police said.
Daniel Thibeault, who faces two counts of felonious sexual assault and one count of aggravated felonious sexual assault, is being held at the Merrimack County jail pending his arraignment, according to a statement from the Bow Police Department.
Daniel Thibeault, a New Hampshire therapist arrested for alleged sexual assault of a patient.Courtesy of Bow Police Department
Thibeault had been a candidate for licensure who was subject to a supervisory agreement since May 2024, according to state records. His arrest comes after the presiding officer of the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice suspended his privileges to practice in the state in late December, citing the alleged assault.
Bow police had notified the state’s Office of Professional Licensure and Certification in early December that Thibeault was accused of sexually assaulting the patient despite her “audible demands to stop,” according to an order signed by an administrative law judge.
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The incident was reported to Bow police in August, prompting an investigation by Detective Sergeant Tyler Coady that led to a warrant being issued for Thibeault‘s arrest, police said.
Efforts to reach Thibeault for comment were unsuccessful Monday. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
Police said the investigation is considered active and ongoing. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Coady at 603-223-3956 or tcoady@bownhpd.gov.
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
