By Associated Press - Wednesday, November 15, 2017

PIERCE CITY, Mo. (AP) - The deaths of a southwest Missouri mother and daughter has been ruled a murder-suicide.

Forty-year-old Sara Spears and her 10-year-old daughter, Kaydee Moerer, were found dead Monday at their rural Pierce City home.

The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release that the young girl was killed by a shot to the back of the head. Spears died from a gunshot to the forehead.



The Joplin Globe reports autopsies were conducted Tuesday. Authorities are investigating to determine when the mother or her daughter were last seen alive.

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Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com

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