Tennessee Mother And Son Dead After Jumping From Interstate Overpass

A Tennessee mother suffering from depression and her young son are dead after she jumped from a highway overpass while holding the boy in her arms.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Department has identified the young mother as 26-year-old Tonisha Lashay Barker. The family identified the toddler as 21-month-old Jonathan Jones.

WREG reports that authorities first received a call just after midnight when a woman tried to hit a gas pump at the Shell gas station. Witnesses saw the woman get out of her car with a small child, walk over to the nearby overpass, and jump off.

Shortly after that, an additional call came in from a driver that said a “large object” fell from the bridge, striking his truck. When deputies arrived, they located the bodies of Barker and Jones.

According to The Daily Mail, Barker’s grandmother said she had been recently suffering from depression; her job at a COVID-19 site ended last month. The family told WREG they had no inkling she was suicidal.

The incident is still under investigation, and no additional details were immediately available.