WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A father is speaking out after his son was found dead of a gunshot wound police believe was caused by his mother.
Claude Hodge’s mom and dad, no longer together, shared 50-50 custody of their son, switching each week, according to his dad, Claude Hodges Sr.
Hodges Sr. says he knew something was off Sunday afternoon when he and his wife were on their way to pick up Claude for the week.
They arrived at the gas station at 5 p.m., their scheduled weekly pickup and drop-off time. Claude and his mom never showed up. Hodges texted and called her, but she never responded.
That’s when Hodges called the police to ask them to check on his son.
According to him, officers initially thought Claude was a runaway, but he insisted his son would be found at his mother’s home. He gave them the address and waited to hear back.
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At 3:30 a.m., police came to his door and told him his son was dead.