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Main image: Tom Slick Community Park in San Antonio, Texas, March 19, 2024; Inset: Kaiden Kriger and Savannah Samantha Kriger (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office).
A Texas mother and child subject to a recent Amber Alert were found dead in a ditch near a park in San Antonio on Tuesday, authorities say.
Savannah Kriger, 32, and Kaiden Kriger, 3, had been reported missing just the night before, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
The mother is believed to have killed her toddler before taking her own life in a murder-suicide amid a child custody dispute.
Authorities were first called at around 6:30 p.m. on Monday to request a welfare check on the Kriger and her son, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a press conference.
At first, deputies could not get inside. Later, a family member allowed them inside the house. Declining to go into detail, the sheriff said the initial investigation turned up troubling evidence.
“They did find some things that led us to believe there was certainly cause for concern for the child,” Salazar said on Tuesday.
After pinging Savannah Kriger’s cellphone, deputies discovered her white 2023 Lincoln Aviator near Tom Slick Community Park on the west side of the Alamo City — but no sign of either. The Amber Alert was issued for the since-deceased individuals early Tuesday morning — on the belief that Kaiden was in “grave or immediate danger” and had likely been abducted.
Late Tuesday morning, the pair were found dead near the back of the park. A gun was also retrieved nearby, the sheriff said.
“There’s been some sort of a custody battle going on with the custody of the baby,” Salazar told reporters at the press conference held in the park where the bodies were found. “There were concerns with family members that they weren’t able to make contact with her.”
The sheriff said that when friends and family tried to contact her, calls went straight to voicemail. Savannah Kriger’s location services, which previously allowed family members to track her whereabouts using their respective phones, had been turned off, adding to concerns.
The last people to see the mother and toddler alive were day care workers, the sheriff suggested. Savannah Kriger left work early on Monday and arrived at her son’s day care to pick him up around 2 p.m., saying he had a doctor’s appointment that day.
Salazar said the bodies were found in a drainage easement in the park “a considerable ways” away from where the vehicle was discovered.
“At this point, she is who we’re considering as the suspect,” Salazar said. “We don’t believe any other suspects are outstanding.”
Family members are said to be cooperating with authorities, the sheriff said. He added that the Kriger residence would continue to be searched, but the park is considered the crime scene.
The sheriff said a hearing in the divorce regarding child custody was scheduled for Tuesday morning but “obviously” did not occur.
