Montana family massacre suspect identified in first released photo

Police have released the first known photograph of Alan Smith, the 44-year-old who killed eight members of his family in a Billings home before setting the house on fire and taking his own life. The victims included Megan Ireland-Ghekiere, her four children, her parents and a grandmother, ranging in age from seven to 92.

Megan’s longtime friend, Kelsey Granger, said Smith had shown “verbally abusive” behavior toward Megan and her children in the months before the attack. Granger, who was maid of honor at both of Megan’s weddings, told investigators that Smith left the family home in late July without a job or income and that no one had reported concerns about violence.

Interim Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O’Donnell confirmed that law enforcement had no prior contact with Smith and had not been called to the property before the incident. The motive for the Saturday killings remains under investigation as authorities continue to examine the remains of the burned house.

Granger, who has known Megan since childhood, described the close bond between the two women and expressed a desire for Megan to be remembered as a devoted mother. She also noted that community members have organized a GoFundMe campaign and food drives to support the victims’ surviving relatives.