Mom and Son 3, Found Dead in Ditch Amid Custody Battle, as Police Suspect Murder-Suicide

An Amber Alert was issued Monday night for Savannah Kriger and her son, Kaiden, after family members were unable to reach them, authorities said

A Texas mother and her young son were reported missing Monday night and found dead in a ditch in a possible murder-suicide the next day, say authorities.

On Monday, an Amber Alert was issued for Kaiden Kriger, 3, and his mother, Savannah Kriger, 32, after the two went missing.

Savannah was last seen leaving work early to pick up her son from daycare and take him to a doctor’s appointment, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said on Tuesday.

She was last seen leaving her son’s daycare at approximately 2 p.m. She was driving a white 2023 Lincoln Aviator that was later found abandoned on Tom Slick Park off State Highway 151E, the BCSO said.

On Tuesday, Sheriff Javier Salazar held a news conference and reported that the case was now being handled as a homicide after authorities found two bodies in a nearby park.

On Monday night, he said, the BCSO received a call for a welfare check on Savannah and her son at her residence “not too far from here,” Salazar said.

There was no vehicle at the home, but with permission, deputies were able to get into residence and “found some things that led us to believe there was cause for concern for the child as well as for Savannah,” he said, without revealing what those items were.

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Asked why family members asked for a welfare check, Salazar said, “There’s some sort of custody battle ongoing with the custody of the baby."

Family members were concerned that they were unable to reach Savannah, he said. Her phone went straight to voicemail and her location tracker was turned off, Salazar said.

“So there was general cause for concern,” he said.

Deputies searched throughout the night for the mother and son. They found her vehicle at the park, he said.

“This morning, park police found two bodies in a ditch on the backside of the park,” Salazar said.

Though authorities await official confirmation that the bodies are those of Savannah and her son, Salazar said they are "operating on the premise that it is Savannah and the child who were found."

He said there is “evidence that there may have been some gunshots fired,” he said. A gun was found at the scene.

He said authorities believe the mother and son died in a murder-suicide but are still investigating.

“At this point, she [Savannah] is who we’re considering as the suspect,” Salazar said. “We don’t believe any other suspects are outstanding."

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