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Mom kills toddler son in Rocky Mountain National Park murder-suicide, officials say

Posted at 5:31 PM, Jan 27, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-27 19:31:55-05

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. — Authorities identified Monday the victims in a murder-suicide investigation at Rocky Mountain National Park.

Park rangers came upon a gruesome discovery Friday afternoon amidst a search for a suicidal person.

Inside a car near Upper Beaver Meadows Road, a park ranger found the bodies of 24-year-old Tristen Watson and her 17-month-old son, Christopher Watson.

The Colorado Springs mother shot and killed her toddler son before turning the gun on herself, according to the Larimer County Coroner's Office.

The coroner's report states the toddler was shot in the head, and his death was ruled a homicide. Watson's death was ruled a sucide.

Park rangers had been searching for Watson after a report that she was likely in the park and was suicidal, an official said in a news release.

This article was written by Robert Garrison for KMGH .