Three small children shot by mother in murder/suicide in Missouri

(left to right) Samantha (6), Kate (3), and Lauren (8) Adewunmi

A stay-at home mother in Bourbon, Montana, Christine Adewunmi, was described as very dedicated, busy, and loving toward her three daughters.  But when she and her three young daughters were found shot to death on a ranch and resort in Montana, it became clear that she had shot them and herself in a murder/suicide.

She shot each of her daughters once, fatally, and then herself.  Lauren, Samantha, and Kate were 8, 6, and 3 years old, respectively.  The father had reported them missing.

From an article (see also for a statement from the family):

A missing person's report filed by the husband and father of the victims details Christine Adewunmi's battle with mental illness. It paints a troubled mental history for the 37-year-old mother.  

Investigators say Christine shot her three girls, 8-year-old Lauren, 6-year-old Samantha, and 3-year-old Kate, before taking her own life. Their bodies were discovered Saturday at a campground outside of Bourbon, Missouri.  

The coroner says all four victims had a single gunshot to the head, from a nine millimeter handgun. The coroner believes the victims died sometime Friday afternoon, but weren't discovered until Saturday.  

It was recently that Adewunmi was battling problems with her mental health. According to a missing persons report filed by her husband Friday evening, the wife and mother had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was dealing with depression.  

Her husband also cited two other occasions in recent weeks when Christine disappeared with the kids. It happened as recently as last Tuesday.  

In the police report, the husband and father also called his wife suicidal, and believed she had been searching for ways to kill herself on the internet.  

The husband told police he took his wife, to Mercy Hospital to be evaluated on Thursday. Christine told her sister she was planning to admit herself for treatment on Friday. 

If the mother was known to be bipolar, depressed, and suicidal, why did they have a gun in the home?

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