Man who announced killings of his mom and friend on Facebook found dead

EAST RIDGE, Tennessee -- A fugitive appears to have killed himself in Mississippi after announcing on social media that he killed his mother and a friend in Tennessee.

Casey Lawhorn appears to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after allegedly shooting Vi Lawhorn and his friend Avery Gaines, of Ringgold, Georgia, on Sunday in East Ridge, Tennessee, according to a statement from Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson. His body was found Monday morning in Vossburg, Mississippi.

Lawhorn "used social media to announce he had murdered his mother and friend," according to a statement from Mississippi Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain.

East Ridge Assistant Police Chief Stan Allen told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that Lawhorn notified authorities about the bodies, then fled the state. His empty car was along Interstate 59.