SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Nancy Lanza wanted to move son to a school in Washington

Dec 17, 2012, 10:00 AM | Updated: Dec 18, 2012, 5:27 am

A snowflake ornament with the name of 6-year-old Noah Pozner hangs on a Christmas tree at a makeshi...

A snowflake ornament with the name of 6-year-old Noah Pozner hangs on a Christmas tree at a makeshift memorial Newtown, Conn., Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, as the town mourns victims killed in Friday's school shooting. Pozner will be buried Monday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The mother of Adam Lanza, identified as the gunman who in the massacre in a Connecticut elementary school, had talked about moving her son to Washington state to attend school.

Connecticut State Police say the relationship between Adam Lanza and his mother could be key to discovering his motive for the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, but they aren’t saying more today. Instead, the Newtown community is mourning the loss of 20 first-graders and six members of the school staff.

In interviews, people who knew Nancy Lanza say she was deeply devoted to her troubled younger son, who was extremely bright but socially awkward and — until Friday — was not known as someone who was potentially violent.

A family friend tells The Washington Post his mother recently had been considering moving him to Washington state.

Mark Tambascio, a restaurant proprietor and close family friend, says she had discovered a school in the Northwest she thought would be good for him.

“They were going to move out there together,” Tambascio, who had known Nancy Lanza for several years.

Tambascio tells me he doesn’t know the name of the school.

“He was her whole life. She was very proud of both of her sons,” Tambascio told the Post.

“She never mentioned that [Adam] was suicidal or violent. Nothing like that. Everyone that had spent any time around him, they knew he was a little bit different, but you never saw any major, major issues.”

Detectives are searching the Lanza’s home for clues that might help explain the killer’s motive and plan.

You might also be interested in:

Dave Ross: Are we fed up yet?

Mom who could be raising killer urges frank talk on mental illness

Newtown holds first funerals for young victims

Seattle News Archives & Features

Andre Sayles (2) bite of seattle shooting suspect...

Tom Brock

Texts on hold: SPD delays Bite of Seattle shooting records

Interim Seattle Police Chief Andre Sayles says he needs more time before he can release the police department's internal communications the night of the deadly "Bite of Seattle" shootings.

13 days ago

Two alleged wire thieves caught in the act on Highway 12 near Aberdeen. Authorities estimate they d...

Tom Brock

Grounded: Grays Harbor deputies cut short highway wire heist

Deputies in Grays Harbor arrested two men Saturday for trying to steal hundreds of feet of wire along Highway 12.

13 days ago

A huge tree fell in the parking lot of Burien's Seahurst Park, crushing six vehicles....

Tom Brock

Fallen tree crushes parked cars at Burien’s Seahurst Park

A huge tree fell in the parking lot of Burien's Seahurst Park Monday and crushed six cars.

19 days ago

Two separate shootings in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood left two people dead and three others inj...

Tom Brock

Belltown violence: 2 separate shootings leave 2 dead, 3 injured early Sunday morning

Two separate shootings in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood overnight left two people dead and three others injured.

20 days ago

Associated Press

Teenager arrested and 5 others sought in deadly July 4 fire in Washington state

EAST WENATCHEE, Wash. (AP) — An 18-year-old in Washington state has been arrested for the investigation of manslaughter and arson in connection with a deadly July 4 fire, a county sheriff said Thursday. The teen from Kent was among a group of people setting off illegal fireworks from the back of a truck when one […]

23 days ago

Authorities issued a Level 3, Go Now, evacuation advisory for a new wildfire called the Goat Fire i...

Tom Brock

EVACUATE NOW: Goat Fire spikes to Level 3 in Upper Cle Elum Valley

Authorities are ordering evacuations for a new fire, called the Goat Fire, in the Cle Elum Valley of the Cascade Mountains.

1 month ago

Nancy Lanza wanted to move son to a school in Washington