A beloved high school teacher was fatally stabbed by her teen son while she slept, authorities say.
Lara Lyons was found stabbed to death inside her home in Shreveport, Louisiana, last week. The 55-year-old educator was just a day away from going on her summer break.
Connor Lyons, 19, has been charged with second-degree murder, battery of a police officer, resisting an officer, and being an in-state fugitive in connection with the murder of his mother, online jail records show.
Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the home on Double A Drive near Dixie Blanchard Road in Shreveport just before 2.10 p.m. last Friday after a 911 dispatcher said they received a disturbing report.
“My brother killed my mother,” the voice said, reports KSLA.
Upon arriving at the home, deputies said that Connor Lyons was found sitting on the steps of the rear porch while his mother’s body was uncovered with stab wounds, lying on her bed.
After being handcuffed, the defendant allegedly admitted to the murder. He told deputies that he had stabbed her three times on the right side of the neck in her sleep, authorities say. The teen added that he had been hearing voices, the sheriff’s office said.
The mom-of-three’s family and friends took to social media to share their heartbreak.
“Yesterday was supposed to be your last day of school before summer break,” another son wrote on her Facebook post, sharing the music video of Lindsay Buckingham’s Holiday Road. “I'm so heartbroken, I feel completely destroyed. The impact you had on so many people will never be forgotten.”
Childhood friend Angie Guice said she is “mortified to hear this news.”
“If you knew her you knew she was a real friend,” she added. “She cared for folks, she helped others, loved her mom, her kids, and the new her to home she was fixing up.”
Another friend, Jessica Thompson, added: “Lara, to truly know you was to love you. All of your quirks and sass made you, you. I am truly so sorry and devastated this happened to you.”
The DeSoto Parish Schools district paid tribute to the teacher’s loss in a touching statement late last week.
“Ms. Lyons was a dedicated educator, a compassionate colleague, and a cherished member of the DeSoto Parish Schools family,” it read. “Her commitment to her students and passion for teaching touched countless lives, and her absence will be deeply felt across our school community.”
The school district said that it would share details about Lara Lyons’ funeral soon.
Conor Lyons is currently being held in the Caddo Correctional Center on a $2.05 million bond, according to online jail records.
