A chilling domestic violence tragedy unfolded in the early hours of April 6, 2025, leaving three members of a family dead and one child critically injured.
The tragic incident, now being investigated as a double homicide-suicide, has shaken the Clarke County community to its core.
The victims, 39-year-old Ashley Danielle Howell and her two children, 8-year-old Jayden Howell and 11-year-old Jayln Howell, were found fatally shot inside their home on Mary Aquilla Road in the Whatley community, located in the rural areas of Clarke County, Alabama.
The suspected gunman, identified as 43-year-old Edward Bernard Raine, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene.
Local authorities have described the incident as a domestic-related violence tragedy, with Raine’s apparent suicide indicating the finality of the attack. A surviving child, 11-year-old Jayln Howell, sustained critical injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital.
She remains in serious condition as of the latest updates from the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office.
Law enforcement officials responded to the scene after a request for a welfare check was made at approximately 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, and what they discovered has left the entire county grieving.
With the death of Ashley and Jayden Howell, along with the injuries sustained by Jayln, the brutal act of violence has left a family torn apart and a community reeling from the shock of the murders.
