Connection Between Nancy Lanza, Mother of Newtown Shooter, and Sandy Hook Elementary Still in Question
There are now conflicting reports as to whether Nancy Lanza — the mother of Newtown shooter Adam Lanza and the woman believed to be his first victim — taught at Sandy Hook Elementary, where Lanza killed 26 others, or if her relationship with the school was much more nebulous. It had been reported for much of Friday that Nancy taught at the school — and that Adam may have targeted children in her classroom — but that hypothesis got much murkier late Friday night.
Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo noticed late in the night that the Wall Street Journal's updated report on the shooting contained a note at the bottom that put Nancy Lanza's relationship with Sandy Hook in question:
A former school board official in Newtown called into question earlier reports that Nancy Lanza had been connected to Sandy Hook Elementary School, possibly as part of the teaching staff.
"No one has heard of her," said Lillian Bittman, who served on the local school board until 2011. "Teachers don't know her."
Marshall also points out that the AP's account of the shooting includes information from a source that Lanza (presumably Adam) attended the school at some point but otherwise "appeared to have no recent connection to the place." The story, though, also quotes an anonymous parent saying that Nancy Lanza was a substitute teacher at Sandy Hook:
At least one parent said Lanza's mother was a substitute teacher there. But her name did not appear on a staff list. And the law enforcement official said investigators were unable to establish any connection so far between her and the school.
The New York Times' updated story still identifies Lanza as a teacher at the school, as does the Washington Post, which calls her a kindergarten teacher at Sandy Hook. The Stamford Advocate, meanwhile, cites a source that echoes that Lanza was indeed a substitute teacher there.
This should be cleared up in the morning — or not.
[via TPM, image via Getty]