Detroit woman whose daughter, mother, and sister were found dead Sunday says she's living 'a nightmare'
Mother of murdered 9-year-old speaks out
The Detroit woman whose 9-year-old daughter was found dead in a burned-out vehicle this weekend spoke to FOX 2 about the nightmare she says life has become. She also lost her mother and sister.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The mother, sister, and daughter of the three people found dead in a burned-out vehicle in Detroit this weekend is speaking out.
Elauntra Sutton recognized something was off after her mother didn't pickup her phone call. After she saw photos of a burned-out vehicle matching the one her mom had been driving on the news, she feared the worst.
Timeline:
Sutton was on her way home from vacation when she tried contacting her mom, who had been caring for her 4-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter.
She also tried calling her sister. But neither of her family members picked up.
Then, while at the airport, she asked her dad to check up on the family to find out what went wrong. Only her son was at the home.
Soon after, she saw images of a vehicle with extensive fire damage. It looked similar to the one her mom had been driving.
Her heart sank after seeing the image on the news.
"I don’t know to deal with any of this," she said. "My mom and my sister - they were my main support system and that’s my daughter."
Dig deeper:
Describing life like being in the middle of a nightmare, Sutton is left with more questions in the days after the tragic discovery.
But one of the answers she does have is who the person was that police arrested in connection to the alleged murder. The man arrested and charged with federal weapons crimes is her sister's ex-boyfriend.
"He is on parole," Sutton said. "She's called the police on him. They removed him but he would always find his way back."
According to federal court documents, police used license plate information after finding the bodies in the burning vehicle Sunday morning to identify Edward Redding.
The 29-year-old allegedly fled police several times before being caught.
How police tracked down suspect after murdered women, child found inside burning vehicle in Detroit
After two women and a child were found murdered inside a burning vehicle in Detroit, police used license plate readers to track down the man they believe committed the crimes.
The backstory:
Detroit police responded to the city's west side at Milford and 30th Street around 5:50 a.m. for reports of a car fire.
At the scene, they found the bodies of two adult women and one 9-year-old girl. They were found after investigators extinguished the blaze.
Sources told FOX 2 the adults had been shot by Redding, who then stabbed the girl.
Evidence of the alleged murder was found inside a home where police executed a search warrant on Detroit's east side. They also found a 4-year-old boy who was by himself.
"With a case like this, it really upset me as well, and it upset our community, and it can create a sense of fear," said police chief Todd Bettison. "My homicide detectives worked around the clock along with Michigan State Police. We put our homicide task force on it. So we utilized all of our assets."
What's next:
Sutton is hoping others can learn from the heartache she's experiencing.
For those that are in an abusive relationship, she advises them to get out.
"It’s not worth it - being in an abusive relationship is not worth it," Sutton said. "Believe it the first time."
A GoFundMe is also set up to help.
The Source: Previous reporting and interviews with family of the victims.