On January 8, 2024, 28-year-old Kimberly Renee Kim Marks McNeilly and her mother, 44-year-old Laurie Ann Marks, were found dead of gunshot wounds in a vehicle parked in the driveway of their Casar, North Carolina, home on Casar Road. The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office responded after reports of a shooting. Deputies identified 32-year-old Thomas Gene Eaker, who had been in a dating relationship with Laurie Ann Marks and had been living with the family, and located him at a residence on Oakgrove-Cloverhill Church Road. Eaker was taken into custody without incident and charged with two counts of murder; he is being held without bond at the Cleveland County Detention Center.

An elderly woman in the home was unharmed, and Kimberly’s six-year-old daughter was present inside the residence during the shootings. Family members described Kimberly as a loving mother and devoted family member; she was born November 11, 1995, and is survived by her husband, Casey Joel McNeilly, and her daughter. The motive remains under investigation.

If anyone has information about what led to these shootings, please come forward.