A 2-year-old boy named River Willis died in Sandy Springs on February 18, 2026, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the face while inside the family apartment on Sandalwood Drive. Emergency responders pronounced the child dead after being called to the scene in the early afternoon.

Police say parents Richard Willis and his wife had returned from a medical procedure and put River down for a nap with a cellphone. Investigators allege Richard Willis removed a loaded 9mm pistol from his fanny pack and left the pack on the master bedroom bed. River went to his father because the phone’s battery had died; Richard Willis told the child to wait in the master bedroom and would join him shortly. Minutes later the father heard a gunshot and found the fanny pack open, the pistol beside his son, and River fatally wounded.

Richard Willis was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children; he is being held without bond. River’s mother described the bond between father and son as love in its purest form. Does anyone have information about the household circumstances that could help explain how the weapon became accessible?