“This is a real tragedy,” Chief Tighe O’Meara of the Ashland Police Department says, “and it’s going to affect a lot of people in a really profoundly negative way.”
What is usually a quiet neighborhood nestled in the Ashland hills, became a gruesome crime scene Tuesday morning when police received two 911 calls from inside the home. When police arrived they found 52-year-old Pamela Wolosz dead, and her 16 year-old daughter alive, but seriously hurt.
Police say the 12-year-old son and brother of the victims stabbed them multiple times with a chef’s knife.
“To watch this unfold and see a 12-year-old taken into custody for murdering his mother,” Chief O’Meara says, “it’s been a rough day and it’s gonna be a rough patch for the community to work through.”
“This is especially tragic,” O’Meara adds.
Right now police don’t have a motive for the crimes, and they say the full investigation could take days or even weeks, but they say at this point in their investigation no one could have seen this coming.
“This is completely out of the blue,” O’Meara says.
One other family member was home at the time, and was not injured. The boy’s sister is expected to survive.
The suspect is being held at a juvenile detention facility in Medford. An attorney with the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office says 12 year olds can be charged as adults. However, the district attorney hasn’t said what will happen in this case.
(UPDATE 2:46 p.m.) A 12-year-old boy stabbed his mother and sister Tuesday morning, killing his mother and sending his sister to the hospital. That’s according to Ashland police.
Ashland Police Department have identified the adult victim as 52-year-old Pamela Wolosz.
Police say the stabbing happened just after 8 a.m. inside a home in the 900 block of Morton Street. When officers arrived, they found the victims suffering from multiple stab wounds. The victim’s 12-year-old son was arrested on charges of assault and homicide.
The injured girl’s name has not been released as she is a juvenile. She is currently being treated at an area hospital and is expected to survive.
The Major Assault and Death Investigation Unit has been activated and detectives from the Oregon State Police, Medford Police, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Central Point Police Department are helping with the investigation.
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Detectives with the Ashland Police Department are investigating what the police chief describes as a “significant event.”
The incident happened around 9 a.m. Tuesday on Morton Street. Police are not releasing details until the initial investigation is complete.
Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Check back with NBC5 for updates.
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