BLACKSBURG, VA – Two high school students were found deceased in a parking garage Tuesday, marking a tragic end to a murder-suicide, according to local reports. The Blacksburg Police Department confirmed the deaths but did not release the names of the victims. However, they reassured residents that there was no continuing threat to the community.
Local news outlets identified one of the victims as 17-year-old Serenity Hawley, based on information provided by the teenager’s mother, Heather Waldron. She alleged that Serenity’s ex-boyfriend shot her in the chest before turning the gun on himself. The fatal incident took place just two days before Serenity’s 18th birthday.
Serenity had recently been offered a place at Virginia Tech, according to reports. Waldron also revealed that there had been an incident between her daughter and her ex-boyfriend in the preceding month. The previous incident prompted Serenity’s school to issue a no-contact order between the two teenagers.
In the wake of the tragic event, Serenity’s family set up a GoFundMe campaign, which has amassed over $20,000. The emotional description on the page paid tribute to the well-loved teenager, describing her as “innocence, beauty, happiness, compassion, and love all blurred into one.” It urged for her memory to be an inspiration and a reminder to put love at the center of life.