One month later - the search for Aaron Pennington continues

More than a month after a Gardner woman was found slain in her home, law enforcement officials continue to search for the suspected killer’s whereabouts.

Breanne “Breezy” Pennington, 30, was shot to death in the bedroom of the Cherry Street home she shared with her husband, Aaron Pennington, on Sunday, Oct. 22. The couple’s four children ran to a neighbor’s house, while their father fled the scene.

Breanne earned her childhood nickname, Breezy, due to her love of horseback riding, according to her aunt, Brenda Hull.

“She had long blonde hair as a child, and she would ride her horse running through the neighborhood, and that hair would go flying in the wind,” Hull said. “’There she goes, there’s Breezy.’”

Breanne was born in Tacoma, Washington, on Oct. 27, 1992, according to her obituary. She graduated from Riverside High School and attended Riverside Community College, both in Riverside, CA. She was a congregant of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints of Gardner. Funeral services have not yet been announced, and a GoFundMe page has been set up for her children.

The murder warrant

A murder warrant for Pennington, issued by the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, was filed in Gardner District Court. Officials told the public that the suspect should be considered armed and dangerous. Pennington, 33, was described as a white man with blond hair and blue eyes, 6 feet, 2 inches tall, and approximately 175 pounds. Pennington is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

The murder warrant included chilling details that suggested that the murder of Breanne Pennington had been premeditated. A search of her husband’s phone turned up a note that had been written on the device the night before Breanne’s body was discovered. According to investigators, the note found on the device read: “Don’t say anything. Be quite (sic) If she wakes up just say you’re getting nasal spray. Get on side of bed – very close proximity to head. Put hole in her head.”

The search for Pennington

The search for Pennington eventually focused on the wooded area of Camp Collier near the Ashburnham-Gardner line after the suspect’s car was discovered by a hunter the day after the shooting (Oct. 23) about 1,500 yards off of Kelton St. The discovery of the car caused police to issue an hours-long shelter-in-place for residents in the area while officials searched cars, backyards, and nearby woods for any sign of the suspect.

Later, law enforcement officials spent days searching hundreds of heavily wooded acres around Camp Collier for any sign of the suspect. Officials asked residents to check their trail cams or Ring footage for possible clues that could assist the investigation.  A Massachusetts State Police dive team searched Lake Wampanoag, but Pennington could not be located.

Police conducted their last formal search for Pennington on Oct. 31, when state police drones and K-9 units were used to search the area near Camp Collier. In a Nov. 21 email, the Worcester County District Attorney's Office said they had no new updates on the case.

Joining Gardner and Ashburnham police in the search were the State Police Special Response Team, the State Police Tactical Operations Response Team, the Violent Fugitives Apprehension Section, and state police K-9 units.

The couple’s children, who were aged 2, 5, 7 and 9, were placed in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Family Services, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: One Month Later Search for Aaron Pennington Gardner