Authorities say the woman crashed into an 18-wheeler after the shooting at a rural Dyer County home.
DYER COUNTY, TN — A Dyer County woman fatally shot her husband and critically wounded their 24-year-old son at a home near the Lenox community on Thursday morning, then died after driving the wrong way and colliding head-on with a tractor-trailer on Interstate 155, Sheriff Jeff Box said.
Investigators identified the woman as 60-year-old Sherry Lydon and the man killed as her husband, William John Lydon Jr. Deputies found the son with gunshot wounds inside the family’s house on Tar Hill Road and rushed him to a hospital, where he remained in critical condition as of late Thursday. The collision that followed shut down a stretch of interstate near the Mid-South Dragway. The sheriff said evidence at the home and on the highway points to a murder-suicide that unfolded within hours, leaving a well-known local family shattered and the small, rural community stunned.
Deputies were dispatched Thursday morning after a report of shots fired at the residence. They found William Lydon Jr. dead at the scene and his son gravely injured. The sheriff said Sherry Lydon left the house after the shooting and drove onto I-155 traveling in the wrong lanes. She struck an oncoming 18-wheeler near Highway 181 and later died at a hospital. The truck driver was not injured, authorities said. “This is an incredibly tragic situation that has affected our community deeply,” Box said, adding that the agency was working to document each step of the timeline from the first 911 call through the interstate crash.
According to Box, preliminary findings show Sherry Lydon shot her husband as he slept, then shot their son before leaving the property. Detectives recovered evidence inside the home consistent with that sequence. The sheriff said relatives and neighbors described the violence as out of character. He also said the family had recently reported that Sherry Lydon underwent surgery and was struggling with mental health problems afterward. Officials emphasized that the exact motive remains unknown. The son, whose name has not been released, was transported in critical condition; no hospital updates were available Saturday morning.
The shootings happened along Tar Hill Road, a two-lane route bordered by fields and farm shops east of Dyersburg, underscoring the isolation deputies often face in emergency calls across the county. The head-on collision occurred on I-155, a short interstate spur linking Dyersburg to Caruthersville, Mo. Investigators said Sherry Lydon entered the interstate in the wrong direction before impact. The sheriff’s office said there were no other injuries on the highway. Records released by the agency on Thursday night named both husband and wife, provided the son’s age, and situated the crash near the Mid-South Dragway landmark to guide traffic diversions while troopers and deputies cleared the scene.
Box said the sheriff’s office gathered statements from family members and neighbors and examined physical evidence from the house and the damaged vehicle. He said the facts support a murder-suicide determination and that no additional suspects are being sought. The interstate crash remains part of the case file, along with autopsy findings. The department does not anticipate filing criminal charges against anyone else. Officials said additional public records, including incident audio and dispatch logs, would be reviewed and released in accordance with state law as the medical examiner finalizes cause and manner of death reports.
As word spread Friday, friends described the Lydons as long rooted in the area. A neighbor who declined to be named said the family kept to themselves but waved from the mailbox. Outside the house, tire marks and a dusting of gravel tracked where patrol cars had pulled in and out. At the interstate crash site, orange paint marked the lanes while traffic moved past slowly. “We’re praying for the son and for everyone who loved this family,” Box said. He asked for patience while the office completes paperwork and coordinates with other agencies.
As of Saturday, the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office considered the case resolved as a murder-suicide pending final autopsy results and the son’s medical condition. No briefings were scheduled for the weekend. The next expected update could come when hospital officials release the son’s status or when the medical examiner issues findings in the coming days.
Author note: Last updated December 20, 2025.