5-Year-Old Found Safe, But Parents Are Dead

A five-year-old Topeka, Kansas girl, for whom an Amber Alert was issued after the body of her mother was discovered, was found safe in Albany County, Wyoming 675 miles from her home. Her father, Justin Chadd Shirk was found dead nearby.

Police have yet to release information about how Stormy Shirk was found or how her father died. Authorities initially would only say that the girl was unharmed.

Update: According to Lt. Greg Vandenberg of the Nebraska State Patrol, an Albany County Deputy Sheriff stopped Justin Chadd Shirk west of Laramie. After the deputy stopped Shirk, Shirk turned a gun on himself and committed suicide.

The search for Stormy and her father was launched after her mother, Melissa Shirk, 31, was found dead in her Topeka home around 10:40 a.m. An Amber Alert was issued for Stormy by mid-afternoon but was lifted at 9 p.m. when she was found in Wyoming.

Background and photos: Kansas Woman Killed, Amber Alert Issued for Daughter