'Not going to get that picture out of his head': Father finds his 1-year-old shot dead by the child's mom, who also killed her 11-year-old daughter, cops and friends say

A Tennessee parent changeable her 1-year-old and 11-year-old daughters dead, past tried to stab herself, with the begetter of the babe uncovering the "unimaginable" murder scene, according to friends and police.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Monday that Jessica Quarles, Tim Harris' fiancee and parent of his 1-year-old, was charged with first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder, aggravated kid abuse, neglect, oregon endangerment of a susceptible child, and aggravated kid abuse, neglect, oregon endangerment of a kid 8 and under.

A TBI spokesperson told Law&Crime that Quarles, who was released from the infirmary past week aft being treated for captious stab wounds, was arrested Monday.

Authorities were called to the family's location successful Kenton connected June 13 aft Harris recovered his daughter, Landrie Harris, and Quarles' 11-year-old girl from a erstwhile relationship, McKenna Young, some dead. The children had each been shot.

"To person to spot what helium saw — he's not going to get that representation retired of his head," says Tim Harris' longtime friend, Haley Paige Wilson, who has launched a GoFundMe for the Obion County father.

"He knew it was her," Wilson tells Law&Crime. "There wasn't immoderate different enactment that it could person been. The mode that it happened, helium knew."

An probe was launched that aforesaid time by TBI, the Kenton Police Department, the Obion County Sheriff's Office, and the 27th Judicial District Attorney General's Office. Kenton Mayor Danny Jowers told section CBS affiliate WREG astatine the time, "It was done intentionally. It was nary accident," successful notation to the shootings.

"On June 13th, astatine the petition of 27th Judicial District Attorney General Colin Johnson, TBI agents joined the Kenton Police Department successful investigating the circumstances starring to the shooting deaths," a TBI press release says. "During the people of the investigation, authorities identified Jessica Quarles, the children's mother, arsenic the idiosyncratic liable for their murders."

An Obion County expansive assemblage returned an indictment Monday charging Quarles, and she was booked into the Obion County Jail without bond.

"It's unimaginable," Wilson tells Law&Crime. "He [Harris] doesn't recognize it astatine all. He's conscionable devastated. He's numb."

Wilson says she has spoken with Harris respective times and seen him since the killings happened, including connected Tuesday aft the indictment was handed down.

"He conscionable said, 'You never, you ne'er truly recognize that radical could beryllium susceptible of things similar this, particularly similar your ain children,'" she recalls. "He feels a small alleviation that, you know, that it's retired there. That everybody knows what helium knows. But astatine the aforesaid time, it doesn't marque the value of what happened immoderate lighter."

One of Quarles' household members, Rickey Dale Alexander, told Law&Crime that her loved ones are "heartbroken" implicit everything that's happened.

"I conscionable sincerely inquire for prayers for each the families involved," helium said. "It's astir remembering our saccharine McKenna and Landrie now. Their lives mattered and they was truthful loved."

Before the charges were announced, Quarles' household held a candlelight vigil "for Jessica and the girls," according to Alexander. On June 14, Alexander wrote connected Facebook, "If you for 1 2nd deliberation Jessica Quarles adjacent had an ounce of capableness to person thing to bash with this concern past you conscionable truly don't cognize her oregon the situation."

Wilson tells Law&Crime that galore radical accused Harris of being progressive successful the killings, with posts and users connected Facebook calling him retired portion Quarles was successful the hospital.

"It's been truthful hard seeing him hurting the mode helium has been the past mates of weeks," Wilson says. "Not lone due to the fact that of what helium had to see, but the mode that radical person ran his sanction down. I cognize helium had to consciousness similar everybody was against him. You conscionable ne'er presume that it's going to beryllium the mother. I mean, you conscionable ne'er deliberation that. Being a ma myself, I conscionable can't ideate that thought crossing my mind."

Wilson describes Harris arsenic a "sweetheart" who was "very intentional successful showing his love" to Landrie and McKenna.

"McKenna wasn't biologically his, but helium loved that girl, and her look lit up each clip helium was around," Wilson says. "He's truthful bully with kids. And so, it bothered him truthful overmuch that radical would adjacent deliberation for similar a divided 2nd that helium would ever bring harm to immoderate child, overmuch little his own."

Wilson adds, "He considered McKenna his child. He worked overtime to get her a motorized wheelchair, and idiosyncratic ended up stealing it. And helium enactment successful a batch of other overtime and recovered her different one, and she loved that thing."

On Facebook, Quarles described Harris arsenic her fiance aft they got engaged successful December 2023. She said McKenna had "Fragile X Syndrome, epilepsy, autism, hypotonia, abnormalities of gait and mobility, [and] respective different diagnosis" that made things hard astatine times.

In January 2026, Quarles wrote connected Facebook:

Yall, this is the astir embarrassing happening ive had to do! We person falling connected hard times. We truly request assistance & prayers! Tim got layed disconnected implicit a period agone & has enactment successful implicit 60+ applications with nary answers back! I've been disconnected enactment since having Landrie. Mckenna has truthful galore appointments coming up & people bills are due! Everyone falls connected hard times! Prayers are decidedly appreciated!

In November 2025, Harris posted a presumption connected Facebook saying, "Headed to furniture unsocial for the archetypal clip successful a agelong time. Here we spell again." He followed up the station with different presumption hours aboriginal saying, "If anyone has heard from Jessie Quarles delight connection me."

Wilson tells Law&Crime that "drama" was often a "theme" with Quarles.

"She benignant of thrived connected the drama," Wilson says. "I deliberation determination were immoderate things astir her that should person been reddish flags. But hindsight's 20/20. You ne'er deliberation somebody's susceptible of doing thing similar this."

Wilson tells Law&Crime that things person been "very emotional" for Harris since the deaths of Landrie and McKenna.

"He was conscionable with my household yesterday and, you know, it's the archetypal clip he's been astir my small lad since [the killings]," Wilson says. "And I cognize helium was having a hard time, you know, being astir kids. It had to person been difficult, to perceive a kid laugh. I cognize he's not ever going to perceive his, you know, his kids laughter again. It had to person been hard. But adjacent still, helium made it known that helium was being contiguous with my small boy. But you could archer helium was struggling."

Wilson describes Harris arsenic a "bright light" who is "never going to beryllium the aforesaid again" pursuing what happened.

"I conscionable can't ideate being successful his shoes," she tells Law&Crime. "When helium came successful yesterday, helium was similar a ammunition of himself. My hubby is pugnacious arsenic nails, and I mean, we conscionable each fell apart. Hugging each other, tearing up. You could archer helium was conscionable truthful defeated."

Quarles is scheduled to beryllium arraigned connected Monday, July 6, successful Obion County Circuit Court.