Sheriff's Office gives update on Louks family tragedy

Risa Louks shot her son Alex in the chest Wednesday morning before setting their Amherst Township house on fire, according to the Lorain County Sheriff's Office. She then shot and killed herself with a handgun investigators later recovered at the scene. That information was included in a news release Thursday updating the public on the investigation a day after the tragedy on Broadway Street. "This remains an active investigation, and detectives are diligently reviewing the pertinent documents and evidence," according to a news release provided by sheriff's Capt. Robert Vansant. Amherst firefighters found the bodies of Risa Louks, 46, and Alex Louks, 9, in a bedroom in the house while responding to a fire alarm at 320 Broadway St. Lorain County Coroner Dr. Frank Miller said it appeared to be a clear case of murder in the death of Alex Louks, and death by suicide by Risa Louks. The sheriff's office said it had no record of ever having contact with the Louks family for law-enforcement purposes. No other information was being released other than what was contained in the news release and an accompanying initial police report, Vansant wrote. "We ask that the community keep the Amherst community and the staff and students of Amherst Exempted Schools in their thoughts as they navigate the impact of this tragedy," he wrote. The sheriff's office also provided the initial police report filed on the incident. It revealed that deputies were called to the scene for a reported death. Amherst firefighters told the arriving deputies that the house was full of smoke. They found Alex Louks in the arms of his mother, under a bedsheet in a first-floor bedroom. A firefighter attempted first aid on Alex Louks, according to the report, "with negative results." Firefighters also found a red gasoline can inside the bedroom where the bodies were found. A dog that ran up to the first firefighters to enter the house was taken outside. A neighbor told deputies that she had last had contact with Risa Louks at 11 p.m. Tuesday by text message. Detectives learned that Risa Louks had recently been served to appear at an emergency custody hearing in an Indiana court after Alex's father, Guy Louks, filed for emergency temporary custody in Henry County, Indiana. A hearing was scheduled Monday on Guy Louks' petition, according to Henry County Circuit Court records. The custody matter "may have contributed to this unfortunate situation," Vansant wrote in the news release. Guy Louks declined comment when reached by The Chronicle-Telegram on Wednesday. Amherst schools were providing counselors and support for students, staff and the community, Superintendent Mike Molnar said in a news release Wednesday. In a public Facebook post on Thursday, the Amherst Jr. Comets Youth Football Organization said it was "absolutely heartbroken and at a loss for words as we struggle with losing one of our Jr. Comet family" in Alex Louks. "Our 2022 Spring Camper of the Year and always a bright light for us on any team or activity. We will miss you deeply Alex but you will never be forgotten," the organization wrote. "You'll always be a part of our Jr Comet Football Family and prayers to all those who may be grieving in this tough time." On Thursday, neighbor Justin McIntosh, 16, showed up outside the Broadway Street scene and laid a teddy bear at a growing memorial set against a utility pole. He said the stuffed animal had been in his closet for a long time, and he thought he would stop by and lay it against the post. "I never really knew them, but me being a Christian, I felt like even if I don't need to I'm going to," he said when asked why he had visited the scene. He said the deaths were "horrible" and "not humane." "We don't truly know what went on in that house, but it was a little girl or a boy — it doesn't matter their gender — it matters that it was a child, you know?" McIntosh said. "We'll never truly find out who she or he could have become," he said. Chief photographer Bruce Bishop contributed to this story. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. HELP IS AVAILABLE If you are having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services OhioCareLine, 24 hours, 7 days a week at (800) 720-9616.