Terry Janway: Mother-in-law of NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson 'snapped' following son's skydiving tragedy
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA: NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson's nephew, Seth Robison, has shed light on the tragic events that unfolded in his family. He is suggesting that his grandmother, Terry Janway, "snapped" and lost control due to her battle with depression following her son's fatal skydiving accident. The shocking incident occurred Monday, June 26, at their residence, where Terry, her husband Jack, and their 11-year-old grandson Dalton were found dead. Authorities believe Terry fatally shot her husband and grandson before turning the weapon on herself, leading to an investigation of a murder-suicide.
'She was a very sweet lady'
Terry and Jack were the parents of Chandra, Johnson's wife since 2004. The devastating loss of his in-laws and young Dalton has deeply affected the pro driver, prompting him to withdraw from an upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race. Seth Robison, 16, the older grandson and Dalton's half-brother, revealed that his grandmother had long battled depression stemming from the sudden and traumatic death of her 27-year-old son, Jordan.
"My grandmother, she was a very sweet lady. If you met her she was the nicest person you ever met in your life," Seth told Daily Mail. "And I guess unknown to me, and quite a lot of other people, she had been struggling with depression and stuff we didn't know about until it was too late," he explained, "About nine years ago my grandparents lost their son – my uncle – in a skydiving accident, and I now believe that's what started her descent into depression." He added, "I believe that she had never intended to harm the other two. It just happened and I have spoken to some people who have had experience of this kind of thing and they said once people snap they aren't really their former self anymore."
A skydiving tragedy
In 2014, Jordan tragically lost his life in a skydiving accident when he collided with another skilled jumper during a maneuver. He was rendered unconscious in mid-air, leaving him unable to deploy his parachute. While the skydiving facility had emergency deployment systems in place, they were undergoing maintenance at the time, and Jordan was not required to have one as he was an experienced skydiver with over 1,000 jumps.
Seth revealed that he was the one who had to inform his aunt, Chandra, about the tragic death. "She took it pretty hard, but I think she held herself together pretty well. But she was just in shock, she didn't believe it, she didn't want to believe it. I didn't either," he expressed. Seth also spoke fondly of his late grandmother, saying, "My grandma, she was an amazing woman, and I wouldn't have thought that could possibly happen. It didn't seem like it was possible." Chandra, who is married to Jimmie Johnson, arrived in Muskogee to handle the necessary arrangements and funeral preparations. Seth emphasized Chandra's role as the oldest relative in the family during this challenging time.
Dalton's living situation
Discussing Dalton's living arrangements, Seth revealed that his mother had struggled with drug abuse, leading to his grandparents taking custody of him. "Growing up, mom had a little bit of drug abuse. She struggled with that for a long time and she went to get help a few years ago. That was her problem," he said, "Dalton's father kind of wasn't there for most of his life and my mom had to travel elsewhere to get some help. My grandparents were there to take care of him. He had lived with them basically his whole life. First time I ever met him he was around two, three years old. That's when they first brought him in, adopted him."
Seth, who lives just three miles away from the tragic scene with his father, John Robison, shared that he had seen his younger brother for the last time the previous Tuesday, June 20, when they attended Dalton's first baseball game. He recalled that Dalton had enjoyed the game and received a signed ball from one of the players. "I believe the ball is still in the house," he said.