NewsNational

Actions

Michigan elementary school principal killed 'severely handicapped son', self, police say

Posted at 3:12 PM, Jun 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-23 07:20:34-04

Police say a school principal killed his disabled son and fatally shot himself in western Michigan.

The bodies of George Heckman and his 28-year-old son Grant were found Monday night in a van on a rural road in Montcalm County's Bushnell Township. Autopsies were performed Tuesday.

George Heckman was the principal at Pewamo Elementary School. The 52-year-old was supposed to become the new superintendent of the Pewamo-Westphalia district but failed to appear at a school board meeting Monday night.

The current superintendent, Garth Cooper, says Heckman's son had "severe physical disabilities." He says George Heckman's death is "tragic" for his family and a "great loss" for the community.

The Heckmans lived in Westphalia in Clinton County.