TRIPP FOSTER - 3 yo/ and his Mother - (2010) Norman OK

Norman police detectives continued their investigation Friday into the deaths of a mother and her son after a family member found their bodies Thursday afternoon inside a house on 180th Avenue Southeast. Norman Police Capt. Tom Easley said the bodies have been identified as Wendy Lee Foster, 41, and Tripp Foster, 3. Police and emergency personnel responded to a report of a shooting victim about 3 p.m. Thursday at 310 180th Ave. SE. Easley said the victims were found in a living area. Both had injuries consistent with gunshot wounds. The victims lived at the home. Easley said the child was covered. However, a description of the covering wasn’t available. Police released a recording of the 911 tape Friday afternoon. According to the recording, a 13-year-old boy tells a dispatcher that he came home and found his mother lying on the ground. He couldn’t find his 3-year-old brother. The recording indicates the woman was found face down in the living area. Easley said no other injuries were reported. Police are not actively seeking a suspect. Detectives obtained a search warrant about 5 p.m. Thursday for the residence, he said. Investigators were still processing the crime scene and gathering evidence Friday. As of Friday afternoon, the search warrant hadn’t been returned to the Cleveland County Court Clerk’s office. Easley confirmed that officers found firearms inside the house Thursday evening. However, he could not confirm how many and where they were located. He said the bodies were sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Oklahoma City for autopsies.

A Noble man spoke out for the first time about his wife and three-year-old son who were found shot to death inside their home Thursday."It's been the worst couple of days of my life, not being able to see my wife and three-year-old son," said Tim Foster.Fosters' wife, 41-year-old Wendy Lee Foster and son Tripp were both found dead inside their Noble home. Both bodies were discovered by Fosters' 13-year-old son."I was very proud of him for handling it the way he did," Foster said.But the truth Foster said is his two boys have struggled since losing both their mother and brother. Not making it any easier he said are news reports suggesting what happened was a case of murder suicide."If you are going to report on something, report the facts, and we don't know all the facts yet. All this is, is guessing," said Foster.Earlier in the week Captain Tom Easley with the Norman police department, the agency heading the investigation, said they are handling the case as if it were homicide but admit they are not looking for any suspects."We are not drawing any conclusions. Right now we are keeping our mind open and we are approaching this very objectively," said Easley.Still Foster said there are things police aren't going public with, but when they do he said it will prove his wife didn't kill their child or herself."I know my wife, I know how we loved our baby boy and I know how she loved [our two other boys], she would never do that," said Foster.Foster said his only hope now is the public will refrain from drawing their own conclusion until Norman police are able to full investigate what happened."Everyone has got to understand I've got two boys I've got to take care of. I might be strong as a rock but these guys right here are young, they don't deserve it," Foster said.Foster admits he and his wife struggled financially earlier in the year after he lost his job, but said financially things were getting better after he found a new job. Foster said he is currently seeking counseling for his two boys.

The State Medical Examiner’s Office revealed Monday that a mother and her 3-year-old son found dead inside their Norman home last week both died from gunshot wounds.Spokesperson Cherokee Ballard said Tripp Foster, 3, died from a shotgun wound to the head. Investigators ruled his death a homicide.Ballard said Wendy Foster, 41, was shot in the neck. The manner of her death still is pending. The bodies were discovered Thursday afternoon at their rural home, 310 180th Ave. SE. Police and emergency personnel were called to a report of a shooting.Police released a recording of the 911 tape Friday. In the recording, a 13-year-old boy tells a dispatcher that he came home and found his mother lying on the ground.Police said the victims were found in a living area. The family also has a 11-year-old son.Norman Police Capt. Tom Easley confirmed Monday that detectives are investigating the case as a homicide. “We are being as thorough and objective as possible,” Easley said.He said investigators are not actively seeking any suspects. No arrests have been made.

December 21, 2010

Norman woman’s death ruled as suicide
NORMAN — A mother who was found shot to death along with her son in October killed herself, according to an autopsy report released by the State Medical Examiner’s Office.

Wendy Foster, 41, and Tripp Foster, 3, were found inside their home at 310 180th Ave. SE on Oct. 28. Norman police investigated the deaths.

In November, the Medical Examiner’s office determined that Tripp Foster died from a shotgun wound to the head. Tripp’s death was ruled a homicide.

Tripp Foster’s autopsy report shows he was found on a couch in the living room. He was lying under a blanket.

According to Wendy Foster’s autopsy report, she died from a shotgun wound to the neck. She also was found in the living room near the front door.

“The range of shot appears to be within close range,” the report stated.

A “Winchester 20-guage Universal 7 1/2” gun shell was found in the left front pocket of the pants Wendy Foster was wearing, according to the report.

The report showed a 20-guage shot gun was found near her feet. A 12-guage shot gun was by her right side.

The report showed investigators performed toxicology tests on Wendy Foster. Results were negative for drugs and alcohol.

http://normantranscript.com/headlines/x1037269651/Norman-woman-s-death-ruled-as-suicide