MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

'He had a loving smile': Dalton Janway, Jimmie Johnson's slain 11-year-old nephew, was adored in school

Dalton Janway was found dead along with his grandparents, Dr Jack Janway, 69, and Terry Lynn Janway, 68, in a possible murder-suicide

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA: NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson's family is mourning the loss of his nephew Dalton Janway, 11, and his wife Chandra Janway’s parents, Dr Jack Janway, 69, and Terry Lynn Janway, 68, all of whom died in an apparent double murder-suicide that took place at their Muskogee, Oklahoma, home on Monday, June 26. Reports suggest that Dalton was tragically shot and killed at his grandparents' home in an attack allegedly executed by his grandmother, Terry. 

As per a Muskogee Police report obtained by In Touch, a 911 call from a woman who reportedly claimed "there was a disturbance and someone had a gun" before hanging up the phone led law enforcement officials to the family home. After arriving at the crime scene, cops reportedly found a body "laying in the hallway inside the front door" before hearing "another gunshot from further inside the house." Authorities later revealed that the first body belonged to Dr Jack, a well-known chiropractor in town while the other two bodies were of Terry and Dalton.

Who was Dalton Janway? 

Dalton was an 11-year-old boy who tragically died at his grandparents' home during an alleged murder-suicide caused by his grandmother on June 26. He is the nephew of NASCAR driver, Johnson, from his marriage to Chandra. Jack and Terry, had four children together, Marianne, Caleb, Jordan, and Chandra. Jordan reportedly died in a skydiving accident in March 2014 at the age of 27 and did not have children. Meanwhile, Chandra shares two children, daughters Genevieve and Lydia, with Johnson. It is not known if Dalton was the child of Marianne, Caleb, or another family member. 

The 11-year-old was a fifth-grade student at Sadler Arts Academy. In the wake of his death, principal Ronia Davison told the Daily Press that Dalton was "absolutely precious and just a good friend to everyone." "His classmates adored him, thought of him highly. He was thoughtful. He was someone who was able to pick up on the needs of others and extend goodness in any turn that he could," she continued. "He had a loving smile and he just carried himself in a way that just made him approachable and friendly and someone you wanted to be around," the principal shared. 

The Muskogee Public School system also issued a statement mourning Dalton’s death. "Muskogee Public Schools mourns the loss of Dalton Janway who died Monday night," the school mentioned, adding, that the boy was "cherished by his teachers and fellow classmates." "Our heart goes out to the entire Rougher community who knew him as a friend and classmate," the statement added. The school also informed students and faculty members about the availability of counseling services.

What did Dalton Janway’s family say?

While Johnson has maintained silence over the incident, his Legacy Motor Club racing team announced that the driver has pulled out of the upcoming NASCAR race in Chicago. "LEGACY MOTOR CLUB has elected to withdraw the No. 84 Carvana Chevrolet from this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series event in Chicago. The Johnson family has asked for privacy at this time and no further statements will be made," the stock car racing team wrote on Twitter. "Please tell me this isn’t really happening please god someone," Marianne Janway wrote on Facebook following the tragedy.

"It was traumatizing to find out that a long-standing family who had made so many contributions to our community were involved in this type of incident. It was even more bone-chilling to find out there was a child involved," Mayor Marlon Coleman told Fox 23. "I knew Dr. Janway. Dr. Janway has worked on me, we’ve been acquaintances for a very, very long time since I’ve been in Muskogee. Just knowing that it was him and his family took a different toll on me," he added. Meanwhile, the Muskogee Police Department said "additional information" related to the case "will be released if it becomes available."