Cops: Grandma Took Off With Boys, Killed Them, Self

Debra Denison was supposed to pick up her grandsons Alton Perry, 2, and Ashton Perry, 6 months, and bring them home for Alton's birthday party—instead, Connecticut state police found all three dead in a parked car last night. They believe Denison shot the children and herself, the AP reports. The boys' mother, Brenda Perry, had just called the daycare center that morning to make sure Denison was on the list of approved people who could pick up her children, NBC Connecticut reports, and the director of the center says Denison was friendly and talkative while picking them up.

But Denison's family says she had a history of mental health problems; the AP lists bipolar disorder among them while NBC lists split personalities. Perry and her husband also knew Denison had a gun. Concerns were first raised when the daycare center discovered Denison had taken the wrong car seat, but were unable to get a hold of her by phone; they contacted Brenda Perry, who called police after she could not track the three down. Then, a family member found Denison's suicide note and an Amber Alert was issued. The bodies were found just hours later, after a caller reported a suspicious vehicle to police. (More Debra Denison stories.)