Sacramento mom, 34, shoots dead her two-year-old son before turning the gun on herself inside van at a movie theater parking lot as friends blame her COVID-19 diagnosis as last straw

A mother and her two-year-old son reported missing in Sacramento early last week were found dead by police Sunday in an apparent murder suicide, officials have said.

Roseville police discovered the bodies of Shana Pringle, 34, and her young son Noah inside a black Dodge Caravan parked in the lot of a movie theatre near Eureka Road at around 3am Sunday morning.

Investigators said it appeared as though Pringle had shot her son dead before turning the gun on herself.

The mother and son were first reported missing by the boy’s father on November 23 after Pringle failed to drop Noah off for a scheduled visitation.

A friend of Pringle’s, Sarah Beilgard, told CBS13 that Pringle had recently contracted COVID-19 and blamed the virus for causing her and Noah’s deaths.

‘It’s the worst, and I really blame COVID for what happened to Shana,’ a tearful Beilgard told the network.

Shana Pringle, 34, and her young son Noah, 2, were found dead with gunshot wounds on Sunday, six days after they were first reported missing

An officer spotted her parked black Dodge Caravan SUV on Eureka Road near Rocky Ridge Drive around 3am Sunday and decided to investigate because it ‘looked out of place'

The parking lot where the car was found is shown in this above image

According the Beilgard, Pringle did suffer with depression but her mental health struggles were only exacerbated after she contracted coronavirus, in addition to suffering a number of ‘stressful events’ in her personal life.

‘She did suffer from depression, especially with COVID and not having her own place, and with her boyfriend breaking up with her,’ she continued. ‘I think any normal person would have difficulty with that.’

Posts made by family members on Facebook indicate that Pringle was ‘in between places’ and had been staying in a hotel in the days leading up to her death, with her living situation characterized as being ‘up in the air’.

Despite Pringle’s personal struggles, Beilgard said that ending her and her toddler’s lives didn’t seem like the doting mother she knew.

‘She adored her son, I can’t reconcile in my mind her harming him at all,’ she said. ‘This just simply is the worst year that ever was, ever it’s the worst.’

Since the COVID-19 pandemic first began in March, experts have reported elevated rates of anxiety, depression, alcohol and substance abuse, and a decrease in mental wellbeing.

In one study, rates of anxiety and depression were found to be higher among young people aged 21-40 years old when compared to other age groups.

A CDC study also found that by late June, 40 percent of US adults reported struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues amid the height of the pandemic.

A friend of Pringle’s, Sarah Beilgard, told CBS13 that Pringle had recently contracted COVID-19 and blamed the virus for causing her and Noah’s deaths

Pringle reportedly suffered from depression, but her condition was worsened when she contracted COVID-19 and endured a series of setbacks in her personal life

The discovery of Pringle and little Noah’s bodies was made by an officer who spotted a parked van on Eureka Road near Rocky Ridge Drive around 3am Sunday and decided to investigate because it ‘looked out of place.’

Inside, the officer found two lifeless bodies. They were later identified as belonging to Pringle and her son.

While the pair had been missing for six days, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office did not issue an Amber alert when their disappearance was first reported.

Explaining that decision, the department said there has to be reasonable suspicion that the child is in imminent harm or danger to issue the alert, such as suspected kidnapping or criminal intent to take a child against their will. 

Because it was not clear Noah was in imminent danger at the time of the missing person report, an alert was not issued, the department said.

However, the justification has provided little in the way of comfort for grieving family members who are criticizing the sheriff’s office for ‘not proactively investigating’ Pringle’s and Noah’s disappearance.

Pringle’s brother-in-law, Max Fannin, wrote to Facebook: ‘As for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, they deemed this to be a custody issue and worked with no level of urgency to help us find Shana and Noah despite ALL parties concerns, pleas, and attempts to get them to act and search for clues to help lead to their whereabouts.

‘I even called in and left a for the detective saying I had information on the missing and never received a call back. This is grossly unacceptable. I can't help but think Shana and Noah would be here today if we'd received the help we asked for.’

In his original post alerting friends of her disappearance, Fannin, of Dallas, wrote: ‘The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department is not proactively investigating and the detective assigned is non responsive so we ask that you contact us if you have any information that may be helpful.’

The mother and son were first reported missing by the boy’s father on November 23, after Pringle failed to drop Noah off for a scheduled visitation.

Pringle’s mother Sheri, meanwhile, penned a tribute to her daughter and grandson on Sunday.

‘It is with deep sadness that I must inform you that our worst fears have been confirmed. Shana and Noah were found today and they are no longer with us,’ she wrote.

‘We are overwhelmingly devastated. Our lives will forever be changed. I want to thank everyone, on behalf of our family, for the incredible amount of support you all showed. Your response was moving and touched our hearts. Rest in peace Shana and Noah - we miss you and we love you for eternity.’

Friend Lauren Cannon also paid tribute to Pringle, voicing her shock and remembering the 34-year-old as a ‘beautiful person’ and ‘loving mother’.

‘I hope everyone knows how little the news is really saying. There is so much more to this, Shana was not AT ALL the type of person to harm herself and ESPECIALLY not her child. Hopefully the cops will actually do their job and get to the bottom of this.

‘My heart hurts for you and your baby. Rest peacefully in heaven, beautiful angels. Until we meet again.’

A small memorial has been set up by friends of Pringle’s in the parking lot where she took Noah’s and her own life.

As part of the memorial, a green posted has been put up on a street lamp for mourners to sign and note down memories they shared with Pringle and Noah.