The wife and son of Maine mass shooter Robert Card remained in hiding as the manhunt for the killer continued for more than 48 hours before he was found dead Friday night, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Cara Lamb, 39, who married Card in 2005 and divorced two years later, shares 18-year-old son Colby with the shooter, according to court documents obtained by the New York Post.
It was suspected that the frightened couple were in hiding while Card remained at large. He was reportedly looking for an ex when he committed the shooting that left 18 people dead.
Before Card was found dead, the outlet reported that Lamb was not at her listed address and a neighbor said he had not seen her.
Cara Lamb, 39, and her son Colby Card, 18, (pictured together) were reportedly in hiding while Robert Card
Card, a 40-year-old Army reservist, was found dead Friday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound
Police sources added to ABC News that the killer left a suicide note addressed to his son before the tragedy, but it reportedly did not contain a motive.
A trigger for the massacre was cited by Card’s sister, who told investigators she believed he was looking for an ex as he rampaged through the bowling alley at Sparetime Recreation and Schemengees Bar and Grille, police sources told the outlet.
It is not confirmed whether Card’s sister was referring to Lamb when she made the claim or a more recent ex-partner.
Court records reportedly reveal that Lamb and Card tied the knot on October 1, 2005, in Brunswick, Maine.
The couple filed for divorce together in Sagahoc County court in 2007, citing irreconcilable differences.
In 2013, an ominous provision was added to the divorce agreement stating that “all weapons in either party’s home must be kept locked up and may not be used during periods when they are not in use.”
Maine is one of the few Democratic-led states with particularly lax gun laws and only made it a crime in 2021 to keep an unlocked firearm in a home with a child.
Just months before the massacre, state lawmakers also rejected three major gun control bills that would have required criminal background checks for gun purchases. A 72-hour waiting period was introduced before someone could own a gun after purchasing it. and banned modifications to semi-automatic weapons.
18 people died in the mass shooting (pictured), and at least 13 others were injured
Card’s divorce amendment also required Card to pay $74 a week in child support, and he described himself in court as self-employed and represented himself.
In his final message to his son, found during the execution of a search warrant at Card’s Bowdoin home, the gunman reportedly “gave others information and instructions about where things might be found and disposed of,” law enforcement sources told CNN.
It’s unclear what exactly Card said to his son. The source added that the note appeared to have been written to be read if “Card were no longer alive.”
Mike Sauschuck, commissioner of the Maine Department of Public Safety, declined to speculate on a possible motive in a news conference Thursday, but said investigators were looking into Card’s history of mental illness.
“I know we will review this information as we move forward, but that is not an answer we want to give today,” he said at the time.
Card was the subject of a multi-agency manhunt involving over 300 officers and lasting over 48 hours
Police remove a victim from the Schemengees Bar & Grille restaurant, one of two locations where the gunman opened fire
The development comes as relatives of Card’s 18 victims reported their relief on Friday evening after the Army reservist was found dead.
He was discovered around 7:45 p.m. near a recycling plant where he was recently laid off and near where his car was found hours after the massacre.
Robert Young, whose brother Bill, 44, and nephew Aaron, 14, were killed in the shooting, said he and his brother were at school with the shooter, played on the same baseball team and were relieved by the news from Card’s Death.
“It gives us a sense of unity as a family because we don’t have to worry about him hurting anyone else,” he told CNN.
“And it kind of gives us a sense of justice. ‘He’s not here anymore.’
He said they didn’t want to witness a harrowing trial and potentially see Card suffer a nervous breakdown, be spared prison time and sent to a psychiatric facility.
“We didn’t want to go through a process. “We didn’t want to see all the gruesome details,” he continued.
Bill Young (pictured left) and his 14-year-old son Aaron (pictured right) were shot at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley
Robert Young, Bill’s brother and Aaron’s uncle, said the family was shocked by the news but relieved by Card’s death
Tricia Asselin, 53, the second confirmed victim, was a part-time employee at Just-In-Time Recreation in Lewiston. She was playing bowling when the gunman came in and opened fire
Asselin was shot when she called 911 to alert emergency services to the mass shooting, her brother said
“And, you know, sometimes things are like that – if he’s in a mental institution, he might get an insanity plea and never see a day in prison. “We just never know how it’s all going to work out. At least for our family, that’s about the outcome we wanted.”
Young added that people will likely “never understand why,” adding, “I don’t think there’s a why for why you shot innocent people, a 14-year-old boy.”
“My family had no problem with Robbie Card. “We really don’t know him.”
Tammy Asselin, who survived the bowling alley shooting but lost her cousin Tricia Asselin, said her emotions were mixed when she heard of Card’s death.
“It’s a relief that the community itself can definitely carry on without fear of him out there, but it’s also sad because we have so many unanswered questions,” she told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, holding back tears.
Asselin was separated from her 10-year-old daughter when the shooting began.
When the little girl was asked how she felt, she just shook her head and refused to say anything.
“I know it gives my daughter some peace knowing he was caught because she was scared of him still being out there,” Tammy said.
Card’s body was found Friday night around 7:45 p.m. near a recycling plant from which he was recently released
Janet Mills, the governor of Maine, said she was “breathing a sigh of relief knowing that Card is no longer a threat to anyone.”
In a news conference held after Card’s body was found, Mike Sauschuck, the commander of the Maine Department of Public Safety, would not say whether he had died as police approached or had been dead for days.
“There is still a lot of work to be done here locally and there is still a lot to be done,” Sauschuck said.
He added that a ban on hunting in the area has now been lifted. Saturday marks the start of deer hunting season and is an important date on the Maine calendar.
The White House released a statement saying the last two days had been “tragic” for the entire country.
“These have been two tragic days – not just for Lewiston, Maine, but for our entire country,” President Joe Biden said in a statement released Friday.
“Once again, an American community and American families have been devastated by gun violence.”
“In total, at least eighteen souls were brutally killed, others were injured, some critically, and dozens of family members and friends prayed and experienced a trauma that no one can imagine.”
“Numerous brave police officers worked around the clock to find this suspect and prevent the loss of further innocent lives – all at the risk of their own.” They are the best of us.
“Tonight we are grateful that Lewiston and the surrounding communities are safe after spending painful days hiding in their homes.”
“I thank Governor Janet Mills for her steady leadership during this time of crisis and continue to direct my administration to provide whatever is needed to support the people of Maine.”
“Americans shouldn’t have to live like this.” I once again call on Republicans in Congress to live up to their commitment to keeping the American people safe. Until that day comes, I will continue to do everything in my power to end this epidemic of gun violence.
“The Lewiston community – and all Americans – deserve nothing less.”