Larry Farlow left for work at 5 a.m. on the morning of Monday, March 7, 1983. He had a business meeting later that morning in Louisiana, approximately a three-hour drive from his home in Petal, Mississippi, a suburb of Hattiesburg. He left behind his 35-year-old wife, Jo, and their three boys: 12-year-old Jeff, 10-year-old Jason, and 4-year-old Judd. After that morning, Larry Farlow would never see his wife or his three sons alive again.
Larry and Jo Farlow grew up together in Hattiesburg. Larry was a talented athlete who excelled in sports from a young age. He was an All-Star baseball player, the star quarterback for Hattiesburg High, and constantly in the local sports news - credited with the win for the home team. Jo Irene Havard first caught his eye when they both attented Hawkins Junior high, where she was a quiet and pretty girl on the school's drill and cheering squad. Like most southern girls in that era, she was active in her church, school activities, and social events. From the outside, the pair appeared to be the perfect couple.
Larry Farlow, Mississippi CollegePhoto byHattiesburg American, April 19, 1967 (via newspapers.com)
After high school, Larry's athletic abilities led him to nearby Tifton, where he was the star pitcher for the "Choctaws," the baseball team of Mississippi College. After graduating with a degree in business administration in 1969, Larry and Jo were married in February, 1970 in Hattiesburg. The ceremony took place at Main Street Baptist - the church they both attended growing up.
The young couple started a family right away, with their first child, Jeffrey, born in February 1971. By 1973, Larry had established a name for himself in the world of retail. When a new Woolco store opened at the Ellis Isle Shopping Center in Jackson, Larry was named the Division II Manager. When the Woolco chain failed in 1979, Larry went to work for another new retail chain started by the Howard Brothers of Monroe, Louisiana.
By 1983, Larry and Jo were living in Petal where Larry was the manager of Howard's Discount Store in Petal Plaza. Their two older sons, Jeff and Jason, were already proving to be natural athletes, just like their dad. Both boys were active in youth baseball and football programs with Jeff being old enough to play on the Petal Red Midget football team. In March, 1983, the young couple bought a new home in Petal almost directly across from Crestview Baptist Church on Hwy. 42. They were only in their new home for four days when tragedy changed the Farlow and Havard families forever.
On Monday, March 7, Jo's father, Lewis M. Havard, stopped by his daughter's new house to check on Jo and the boys. When neither Jo or the boys came to the door, Mr. Havard phoned the police for help. Mr. Havard was a veteran navigator for the U.S. Air Corps. During WWII, his plane was shot down over Germany where he was captured and held prisoner by Nazi troops. Although he had experienced the horrors of war, nothing could have prepared Mr. Havard for what the police were about to discover inside his daughter's home.
Police entered the Farlow home around 12:30 p.m. where they were met with an eerie silence. Inside the home, they found the lifeless bodies of all three boys along with the body of Jo Farlow. After a short investigation, the police concluded that the 35 year old mother had done the unthinkable - she had murdered her children before taking her own life. When Larry was contacted in Louisiana, he booked a flight home immediately.
Police speculated that Jo shot each of the boys in the chest at close range with a 20 gauge shotgun before she turned the gun on herself and managed one fatal shot to the heart. For investigators, it was an open and shut case. They based their conclusion on an apparent suicide note left by Jo, along with the discovery that she may have been in the midst of a mental health crisis. They believed the crime happened sometime between 7 and 8 a.m. Remarkably, the police stated that no neighbors had heard the shotgun blasts. They went on to say,
"....the youngest boys were in seperate beds in one bedroom and the body of the eldest child was found in a walk-in closet in Mrs. Farlow's bedroom. All three were dressed in pajamas. Mrs. Farlow was lying face down across the bed in the master bedroom. A single-shot, 20-gauge H&R shotgun, apparently the weapon used, was on the floor. The shotgun was registered to the Farlows." - The Hattiesburg American
The police told the Hattiesburg American that Jo had recently had a "nervous breakdown." She had been on medications for "nervousness" including Sinequan, which the police referred to as a "tranquilizer," although it's actually a tricyclic antidepressant - a group of drugs that can cause a worsening of depression or suicidal tendencies in some individuals according to FDA warnings. No other medications or issues were mentioned. Although a "nervous breakdown" is not a medical term or diagnosis, it was often used back then as a catch-all term for any sort of mental health crisis.
The police never disclosed the full contents of the suicide note supposedly left by Jo on that tragic morning, although they did give some clues as to what it said to the local newspaper, the Hattiesburg American. Local police investigator, Jeff Griffis, was quoted in part one of the article:
He said a note written in black ink on a sheet of loose-leaf notebook paper referred to the "unhappiness" of the children and said they were now "at peace." The note was signed by Mrs. Farlow. - Jeff Griffis, Investigator
In part two of the article in the Hattiesburg American, Betty Moore, principal of W.L. Smith Elementary school, spoke very highly of Jeff and Jason, who both attended her school. She said, "Both were good students and well thought of by their teachers. Jeffery (a sixth grader) was in our top class and Jason was a very good student. I don't think I ever saw either one in the office as a behavior problem." Mrs. Moore said the boys both had an excellent attendance record and added that there was "nothing in the student's behavior to indicate there were any problems at home."
The Forrest County coroner, also referred to the note when questioned about autopsies by the local press:
Autopsies were not ordered and Coroner Harry Phillips said the coroner's jury he empaneled ruled the deaths of the children homicide and Mrs. Farlow's death suicide. "There was a note left," Phillips said. "There was no doubt about what killed them. The house was locked from the inside. Autopsies would be meaningless." - Harry Phillips, Coroner
After the article in the Hattiesburg American, published the day after the tragedy, the Wednesday paper published brief funeral arrangements for Jo and the boys. There was one funeral service for all, followed by burial in adjoining plots in Highland Cemetery in Hattiesburg. Aside from a short mention of the tragedy in a few other newspapers in Mississippi and Memphis, there was no other mention of the family or the event until six years later in 1989.
In 1989, the Hattiesburg American published a letter to the editor written by Larry Farlow. The Farlow's oldest son, Jeff, would have graduated high school that year. In his memory, the students acknowledged Jeff at their graduation services. Larry Farlow's letter to the editor was a thank you note to those students with accolades for their actions. The last paragraph of the letter stated:
To all students of Petal High School and to Dr. Walters, Mr. Clay, Mr. Clark, Mr. Shoemaker and many others, let me say a gracious thank you. Thank you for allowing the love and care to be shown in such beautiful demonstrations. Certainly you and your fellow teachers have taught that citizenship includes love for others, including my son. - Signed, Larry Farlow, Father of Jeff Farlow
Larry Farlow remained in Hattiesburg. He left retail work and was employed as a purchasing agent by the Pat Harrison Waterway District until retirement. His natural athletic talent was still evident in his latter years when he became an avid golfer. Once again, he was recognized many times in the local newspaper.
Larry Farlow passed away on February 27, 2020, almost 37 years to the day of what had to be the worst day of his life. He was 72 years old. He was buried next to Jo and their three sons in Highland Cemetery.
*If this article or the research contained in this article is used for a video, podcast, or another article, please give credit to the author, April Killian, for her research with a mention of her name and link to this article. Thanks!
Click "follow" for more articles! April Killian is a native and resident of the Shoals area of north Alabama and shares stories about the unique places, people, and history of the southern U.S.. Have a story to tell? Email: april.newsbreak@gmail.com
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