12-year-old boy accused of stabbing mother to death, slashing sister in previously peaceful home

There was no prior indication of trouble within the family

An Ashland, Oregon, family has been shattered after the 12-year-old son of Pam Wolosz is accused of stabbing her to death in a shocking incident that also injured his sister, now recovering from stab wounds in a hospital.

Police arrived at the home on Tuesday morning in response to two separate 911 calls to find Wolosz dead of apparent stab wounds and her 16-year-old daughter injured. It is not known who placed the 911 calls.

The boy has been arrested on homicide and assault allegations. In a court appearance Wednesday morning, he reportedly pled not guilty to all charges against him.

In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara reportedly said there had been no police incidents at the home prior to the alleged murder. “To my knowledge we don’t have any indication that this young man has had a troubled past,” O’Meara said. “This was completely out of the blue.”

[Pamela Wolosz/Facebook]

Wolosz, 52, was a retired U.S. Air Force officer with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering and master’s degree in engineering management. Both she and her husband, Jim Holmes, maintained active Facebook pages, where there was no recent indication of trouble in the family. Holmes, who was away at the time of the alleged murder, shared the tragic news in a Facebook post on Tuesday:

There’s no easy way to put this: My wife, Pam Wolosz, is dead. The tragedy gets worse: She was killed by our 12 year old son Zeke. Our daughter Lydia was also injured during the attack, but is stable and safe. Pam’s mother Joanne who lives with us was uninjured. Unfortunately I’m on travel and away from my family at the moment, but am rushing home. Thankfully, close family has flocked to us and we’ve got great support at hand.

At the end of his post, Holmes asked that friends keep his family in their prayers — “especially my son.”