Mom of 2-year-old girl killed by grandpa in triple murder-suicide says ‘he loved her so much’

KEITHVILLE, La. (KSLA/Gray News) – The mother of a 2-year-old girl who was killed in a murder-suicide that left three others dead is at a loss for why it happened.

Kara Hanning, the mom of 2-year-old Adalynn Mae Sadler, said she wouldn’t wish this tragedy on anybody.

On May 5, the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office was called out to a home in Keithville, Louisiana, to do a welfare check.

When deputies got there, they said Adalynn’s grandfather, 60-year-old Leroy Sadler, refused to communicate with them.

Then, police heard a gunshot.

Once they got inside the home, they discovered four bodies. All four were dead from gunshot wounds.

Officials said Sadler killed himself as well as his wife, Judy Sadler, 64; his son James Sadler, 29; and his granddaughter Adalynn Mae Sadler, 2.

Adalynn’s mom said that the day the shooting happened, she was at work. She said several friends reached out to her that morning, asking if she and Adalynn were OK because they saw that something had happened on the Sadlers’ street.

Hanning said she immediately messaged Adalynn’s babysitter to see if she had been dropped off yet. The babysitter said she hadn’t, so Hanning called Adalynn’s dad, James Sadler. He didn’t answer.

Then, she called his father, Leroy Sadler, and he didn’t answer either.

Hanning left work early and drove to the house. That’s when she was approached by the police. She asked them if her baby was OK.

“And they just looked at me with the most saddest expression, and I lost it, I did, because I don’t think anybody would want to lose their baby like that,” Hanning said.

Hanning said she has no idea what would have driven Leroy Sadler to kill his family, especially his granddaughter, whom he loved so much.

“I’m completely at a loss for words for that, because he loved that baby so much,” she said. “He did love her, and I don’t know what caused this to happen or what he must have been going through. I feel terrible because I wish he had asked for help.”

Hanning said Leroy Sadler had just recently lost his stepdaughter to cancer about six months ago. She says she knows that grief took a toll on the family. Hanning said Judy Sadler was also sick. She believes stress may have been a contributing factor to what happened.

Hanning and her cousin asked that nobody be vilified in this tragic story, but instead shed light on the mental health aspect of it to help others who may be struggling.

“I can’t hate him. I will never be able to hate him,” Hanning said. “I forgive him for his actions. I wish it never happened, but I have no hate in my heart for that man,” Hanning said.

Hanning said Adalynn was her only child. She describes her daughter as sweet and sassy, and her favorite word was “no.” Adalynn loved playing with bubbles, being outdoors and playing in water.

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