DYER COUNTY, Tenn. — What began as a quiet Thursday morning in the rural community of Lenox turned into a scene of heartbreak that has left neighbors shaken and one family forever changed.
Authorities say 60-year-old Sherry Darlene Lydon fatally shot her husband, William John Lydon Jr., while he slept early Thursday, before turning the gun on her 24-year-old son, striking him and leaving him critically wounded. Deputies arrived at a home in the Lenox area where they found William Lydon Jr. unresponsive from at least one gunshot wound and the son seriously hurt.
After the shootings, investigators say Lydon fled the scene in her vehicle, heading toward Interstate 155. In what officials describe as an apparent attempt to take her own life, she drove head-on into an 18-wheeler. Emergency crews rushed her to a nearby hospital in critical condition, but hours later she succumbed to her injuries, the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
The surviving son was transported to a regional trauma center and remains in critical condition, according to the latest update from law enforcement. Investigators have secured both the shooting scene near the family home and the crash site on I-155, and have emphasized that there is no ongoing threat to the wider community.
Friends and neighbors describe the Lydon family as quiet and private, with no public signs of the turmoil that would explode that morning. A statement from Sheriff Jeff Box called the incident “incredibly tragic” and expressed condolences to those affected, while asking for privacy as the investigation continues to unfold.
According to preliminary information released by authorities, Lydon had recently undergone surgery. Sheriff’s officials say she had been experiencing night terrors, anxiety and disrupted sleep in the weeks leading up to the incident — factors being considered as the inquiry proceeds.
The Dyer County Criminal Investigation Division has taken the lead on gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses as they try to piece together the full sequence of events that led to this devastating morning. Officials are urging anyone with information to come forward to aid the ongoing investigation.
For those in the Lenox area and beyond, this tragic series of events has been a stark reminder of how quickly ordinary life can be upended. As friends, neighbors and community members process the loss and injury, thoughts remain with the Lydon family and all those touched by this heartbreaking day.
