Community reacts after the killings of a Fulton teacher and her 11-year-old daughter
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A community in Boone County and two school districts around Mid-Missouri are grieving the loss of a 43-year-old woman and her 11-year-old daughter after they were found dead Sunday night at a Boone County home.
Deputies found Allison Abitz and Jozee Abitz dead in the 7500 block of Lavender Court just south of Columbia after getting a call from a concerned family member late Sunday.
Allison Abitz has been a second-grade teacher at Bush Elementary in Fulton for the past five years.
The Fulton School District canceled an open house at Bush Elementary Monday just two nights before school is set to start on Wednesday.
The district did bring in counselors for students and teachers Monday after Abitz's death and will continue to have them accessible as students return to the buildings.
Before her time at Bush Elementary, Abitz worked at Tipton Elementary.
A coworker and friend, Michelle Steelman, said, "Allison was a fantastic teacher. She loved her job and she loved her kiddos. She was an amazing mother, very actively involved in her daughter's life. There wasn't a person in the building that didn't have respect for Allison."
A mother of five students at Bush, Venessa Nelson, said, "Allison was a very sweet soft-spoken teacher who her students loved. She will be missed truly from the bush staff and bush family."
In this time of grieving, an expert in child psychology at Mizzou, Colleen Colaner, says it's important to be straightforward with kids.
"The reality is that kids kind of know what's happening and they can kind of sense when things are feeling a little uncertain or feeling a little stressful. They pick up on that energy so really glossing over it might increase some of their anxiety."
Colaner also says it is important for adults to take their time to grieve the loss. "The teachers and the staff are really focused on the kids right now and might forget that this is their grief too in losing a coworker and a friend, so it's important to have space to say her name, remember her and celebrate her life."
Neighbors in the area say the Abitz family has been a wonderful addition to the neighborhood since May when they moved in. They say they have increased security around their home as no suspects have been arrested or charged.
