MANHATTAN, NY – Devastating circumstances unfolded in Manhattan on Friday morning when two women, revealed to be caught in an ongoing custody dispute, were found fatally shot, the tragic result of an apparent murder-suicide. The incident occurred near Gracie Mansion in Yorkville, close to 519 East 88th Street, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
On arrival at the scene, authorities found Marisa Galloway, 45, on the road and behind a parked Honda Civic as well as Kathleen Leigh, 65, on an adjacent sidewalk. Both women had suffered gunshot wounds to their head, leading police to believe that Leigh approached Galloway while putting away a stroller. After shooting Galloway in the head and back, Leigh then turned the gun on herself.
Despite immediate medical attention, Galloway perished at the hospital. Leigh was pronounced dead at the scene. Miraculously, a one-year-old child, previously in the back seat of the Honda, was unharmed.
Preliminary investigations suggest the incident is linked to an ongoing custody dispute between the women over Galloway’s four-year-old child, with Leigh being the child’s grandmother. Reports show a history of domestic incidents involving the two, with five incident reports and two complaints recorded previously. There were, however, no arrests leading up to the tragic event.
Law enforcement officials recovered two guns from the crime scene.