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Aaron Pennington, 33, is believed to be somewhere in the 400 acres of wood at Camp Collier in Gardner near the Ashburnham border, the Worcester County District Attorney's Office said. The prosecutor filed murder charges against Pennington on Wednesday.
Breanne Pennington was shot in the face on Sunday in her home on Cherry Street in Gardner. Police learned of the attack after the couple's four kids — ages 2, 5, 7, and 9 — walked to a neighbor's house to say their mom was crying in her bedroom and their dad was missing.
The Department of Children and Families social workers are caring for the children, according to court records.
The couple had been having marital issues long before the slaying. Breanne was planning to move the children to Texas to escape her husband, court records show, per reports.
Aaron Pennington drove away from his home in a 2013 BMW 320, but searchers found the sedan ditched by Camp Collier Tuesday morning. Police ask anyone in that area with surveillance cameras or trail cams placed nearby to check the videos to see if Pennington appears in them.
Searchers describe him as having blonde hair and blue eyes, standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, and weighing approximately 175 pounds. He should be considered armed and dangerous, police said, and anyone who sees him should contact 911 immediately.
Police ask that anyone with information on Pennington's whereabouts contact State Police at 508-829-8236 or the Gardner Police Department at 978-632-5600.
Police announced around 5 p.m. that they had concluded their search for the day, but they will return to the Camp Collier area Thursday morning.
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