A rural community in Stillwater County, Montana, was shattered on December 8, 2025, when a targeted shooting at a family home near Nye and Absarokee killed mother and daughter Justine Lynn Dawson and 21-year-old Nila Lynn Dawson. The attack also left Justine’s husband, Greg Dawson, critically wounded and a family friend treated for a gunshot to the arm.

Court documents and investigative reports describe the suspect as 23-year-old Tyler Allen Turney, who had traveled from Texas to visit Nila. Witnesses say Turney’s behavior had grown aggressive in the days before the shooting and that Nila alleged a sexual assault she did not report. According to accounts, Turney’s vehicle was waiting when Nila and two friends arrived at the Dawson home; Turney then allegedly opened fire. Nila was pronounced dead at the scene, Justine later died at a Billings hospital, and Greg Dawson was shot while retreating into the house.

Turney fled the scene, crashed into the Stillwater River, survived with a broken leg and was taken into custody. Justine is remembered locally as a long-serving school board member and community leader; Nila was a 2022 high school graduate active in sports and agricultural groups. Does anyone who knew the Dawsons or witnessed events that night have information to share?