Jeff Eyerly, 46, and Carol Ann Peckham, 41, met in the summer of 2005 they began a relationship. By Christmas of 2005 Eyerly said “At my age, you kind of know right off the bat,” “He felt she was the one right off the bat.” And by April of 2006 the two were married.
Carol Peckham was already a mother of a 7 year old little boy named Kyle from another relationship. Kyle and Carol Peckham were very close, reportedly she had separated from Kyle’s father soon after his birth and it was just the two of them for a while. Kyle was the best man at the wedding, right away he began calling Jeff Eyerly “Daddy.”
Eyerly owned a business, but soon after the wedding he left the business and moved on to another job in May. The partner has said that he hasn’t seen Eyerly since June. But he said he hadn’t seen any problems at that time. “He loved Kyle,” “He loved that kid. . . . It can’t be. He would never do that.” Eyerly was known as a “gentle giant.” Reportedly he “was very, very strong but good-natured.”
The family was involved in their church. Carol taught religious studies and Kyle was working toward his first communion.
Kyle’s last day at school was on Tues. But Carol Ann Peckham called the school on Wednesday and Thursday and said he had the flu and wouldn’t be back to school the rest of the week. She did not call on Friday. Neighbors have said the last they saw of Eyerly was on Saturday and they believe he was taking down Christmas decorations, but they had not seen Kyle or his mother for a couple of days. Carol Peckman’s brother had talked to her on Wednesday, but the next time he called Eyerly had said that both Carol and Kyle were too sick to come to the phone. A neighbor took the family a pot of chicken soup on Friday and Eyerly took it from her outside the home.
Carol Peckham’s mother and brother came to the home on Saturday to take the family out to eat. What they saw had them running from the home and screaming for someone to call 911.
Police arrived at the home about 12:36 pm and found Jeff Eyerly hanging from the staircase between the first and second floor. Carol Ann Peckham was found in the rear living room and little Kyle was found in a bedroom.
Police say there was no record of domestic disturbance at the home. And the neighbors say they had not seen signs of problems, though one neighbor says that she had heard some arguments lasting until 5 am. Other neighbors say they were a happy couple.
An autopsy revealed that Carol Ann Peckham died from blunt force trauma. Kyle Peckham was manually strangled. Eyerly died from the hanging. Police say they have not found a motive, but they do say it was a double homicide and a suicide.
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