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‘It just doesn’t make any sense’ — Michigan couple dead, teen hospitalized in murder-suicide along I-96

Posted at 3:00 PM, Jan 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-08 15:01:19-05

BOSTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Less than 48 hours after a husband and wife died in an apparent murder-suicide along I-96, that woman’s daughter fights for her life in the hospital, and the Ionia County Sheriff has no indication of a motive.

Deputies were called to assist a motorist on I-96 eastbound near Nash Highway in Boston Township around 10 p.m. Saturday. They found David Somers, 50, and his wife, Lisa Somers, 50, lying dead off the roadway from gunshot wounds, and a loaded shotgun beneath David.

Police say they found Lisa’s daughter, Amedy Dewey, 18, in the backseat of the SUV with a gunshot wound to the head. She is in critical but stable condition at a hospital in Grand Rapids as of Monday evening.

Amedy Dewey, 18, is hospitalized in critical condition after an apparent murder-suicide involving her step-father David Somers and her mother Lisa Somers, both 50.

Investigators say that David had picked up Lisa and Amedy at Gerald R. Ford International Airport as they were returning from a vacation on Saturday. The family was from Kaleva, Mich., in Manistee County.  Investigators searched their home and found no other evidence or victims.

David’s parents, Tom and Shirley Somers, tell FOX 17 their son was fighting a brain tumor that was discovered about a year ago, and recently his doctor told David they needed to operate to try to remove it. While they say David’s behavior would change recently during episodes, they saw no red flags but urge anyone who needs help to seek out that help.

“He’s always been our rock,” said Tom Somers of his son David. “Never any problems with him, always willing to help you do something. We just had a lot of faith in him.”

They said David and his wife Lisa of about four years were busy between work and restoring the local baseball fields in Kaleva, adding David was hoping to become a local commissioner.

“Him and his wife Lisa ran the baseball teams up there,” said Tom.

“And they worked so hard at it; it was something they did together,” Shirley added asTom held her hand. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”

“[David] wasn’t able to continue on the work he’d been doing,” she said, “and he was always a good provider, and he wanted to be a good provider, just like his dad. When you can’t do what you need to do for your family, that’s real hard on you,.”

While his parents and brother tell FOX 17 they never saw this coming, they hope they can help others facing difficult situations to get help.

“We just wanted people to know [David]  wouldn’t have done this,” said Shirley. “He was too protective of his family. He would have been there to protect them, not, not harm them.”

The Ionia County Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate with Manistee area law enforcement and say at this point there is no clear motive.

A family friend started this GoFundMe page for Amedy’s extensive medical needs and her mother’s funeral.