Police: Woman killed days after son's suicide

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. -- A series of deaths this month have shaken the northeast Missouri town of Kirksville.

Echo Welte, 41, got a call Nov. 13 from her son, who was threatening suicide, The Kirksville Daily Express reported.

By the time she reached him, 19-year-old Danny Welte Jr. had died of what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Hours after burying her son Nov. 17, Echo Welte was dead, too -- fatally shot in the parking lot of a Days Inn.

Danny Welte Jr.'s father, Danny Welte, was charged with first-degree murder and jailed on $1 million cash-only bond.

Online records indicate Echo Welte and her husband were in the midst of divorce proceedings.

Danny Welte fled after the shooting, but investigators obtained his phone number and had a negotiator talk with him, police chief Jim Hughes said.

Welte agreed to surrender at the police department. As police and state troopers surrounded his vehicle, Welte agreed to leave his weapon under a seat, emerged with his hands over his head, walked to the middle of the street and knelt to the ground.

Police said Echo Welte and her other children were staying at the Days Inn after her son's death. The children are staying with other relatives.

Court documents stated Danny Welte told authorities he was arguing with his wife about their relationship before the shooting.