As the country reels over the tragic shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut, one local family is especially trying to make sense of what happened Friday.
Marsha Lanza, the aunt of the gunman Adam Lanza, lives in Crystal Lake and told the Associated Press Friday she was close with her sister-in-law and Adam's mother, Nancy Lanza. She described Nancy Lanza as "a good mother and kind-hearted" and said she sent her a Facebook message Friday morning but never heard back.
Nancy Lanza is believed to be the first victim in Friday's shooting. After shooting Nancy Lanza in her home, Adam Lanza is believed to have driven his mother's car to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. and opening fire on the school, according to the New York Times.
Twenty-six people are dead in the shooting, including 20 children. The remaining victims in the shooting are expected to be identified Saturday, according to Newtown Patch.
Marsha Lanza has lived with her family in Crystal Lake since 1999 and has five boys, two who attend Prairie Ridge High School, according to the Northwest Herald. Her husband, Nancy's brother, is currently in North Carolina for work, according to the article.
She told the Northwest Herald late Friday they were in total shock and "shaken to the core."
There were conflicting reports late Friday over Nancy Lanza's connection to Sandy Hook Elementary School. The majority of media reports Friday listed Nancy as part of the teaching staff at the school.
A Wall Street Journal late Friday cited a former school board official who said "no one has heard of her" and that the "teachers don't know her."
For more information on the shooting, visit Newton Patch.
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