Murder-suicide investigation in Madera County

AHWAHNEE, Calif. (KFSN) -- Investigators say the mother killed her daughter at the home, then walked 2 1/2 miles to a bridge in Mariposa County and jumped over the edge. Now, everyone just wants to know why.

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The mother-daughter murder-suicide trail started at an Ahwahnee home, according to Madera County Sheriff John Anderson.

23-year-old Crystal Lynn Lewis lived in the home, along with her parents and her 5-year-old daughter.

Crystal's father found his granddaughter, Marijan, lifeless early Tuesday morning.

"We got a call at about 6 o'clock this morning saying that the granddaughter was dead, had been killed," said Sheriff Anderson.

90 minutes later, a driver found Crystal dead on a roadway 200 feet below a bridge over the Chowchilla River.

The Lewis family spent the day holed up on their property, getting food delivered by a friend, and sending the child's great-grandmother out to get the mail.

"They've probably helped raise the child," Sheriff Anderson said. "The mother lived there. They appeared in shock."

Family and friends didn't want to talk on camera, but several of them told us Crystal had a drug problem. They say Marijan's father was fighting to take his daughter away from Crystal. Now, he'll never get the chance.

Autopsies on the mother and daughter are being done in two different places because Crystal died in Mariposa County and Marijan died at the home in Madera County.

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murder, crimetracker, ahwahnee, madera county, mariposa county, madera county sheriff department, local, corin hoggard

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