4-year-old near when Dayton mom was killed

Father of the child in custody as a suspect; toddler with relatives.

Police say 32-year-old Krysten Connally was shot multiple times Saturday morning, and the suspect is the child’s father.

The 4-year-old child of a Dayton woman killed over the weekend was in the immediate area during the fatal shooting, Dayton police said Monday.

Police say 32-year-old Krysten Connally was shot multiple times Saturday morning in the 3200 block of Hillpoint Lane. Dayton Police arrested a suspect, who turned himself in Saturday. They didn’t release his name Monday, saying he had not been charged yet.

The suspect and Connally had the child together, Dayton Police Lt. Jason Hall said, and the child is now being cared for by family members. He said the case is still under investigation but that there were witnesses of the shooting that took place outside the home after an argument.

“A lot of factors came into play to lead us to the person who we eventually apprehended,” Hall said, adding that a lot of people were out and about at the time.

Hall said it is the belief of officers that the incident was domestic violence.

“We are piecing together a motive and what went into and caused this argument to culminate into a homicide. It’s still kind of early to tell,” Hall said.

Police were called to the home in August 2017. A report was made, Hall said, but charges were refused and the case didn’t move forward.

Dayton police have seen fewer calls for domestic violence since the coronavirus pandemic began, Hall said. But that doesn’t mean there are fewer cases taking place in homes across the Miami Valley.

“There have a lot of different theories. People having to quartine in place inside of their homes and limited movement around. Obviously, we were worried about child victims,” Hall said. “A lot of the safety nets that were in place for them are not available to them at this time: they’re not going to schools, daycares and other programs where they may disclose a problem.

“That very well may be the same case with domestic violence victims.”