An Ohio physician allegedly killed in a murder plot involving her own 18-year-old daughter had, years before her death, helped author an academic study on the psychology and patterns of young killers.

Tamela Dutcher, 55, died at a hospital shortly after she was shot by two men while sitting on a couch inside her Delaware County home last week, according to an affidavit obtained by Oxygen.

Her daughter, Bryanna Dutcher, has been indicted in connection with the killing, along with Bryanna’s boyfriend, Christian Evans, 20, and Evans’ roommate, Dajameous Payne, 21.

Investigators say Bryanna’s arrest came after a forensic review of her phone uncovered a disturbing series of messages with Evans. In the exchange, the couple allegedly discussed the final moments leading up to the fatal ambush, according to records obtained by WCMH News.

The case carries a grim irony: Tamela, a doctor in central Ohio, co-wrote a 2002 paper in the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health that examined violence committed by children and teenagers.

Published 24 years before her daughter would face charges in her death, the paper warned that “children and youth are being killed or are killing at an ever-increasing pace.”

The study also observed that although most juvenile offenders are boys, “those few girls who kill tend to kill family members” — a line that now casts a haunting shadow over the Delaware County murder case.

The violence unfolded on August 14, when a man called 911 in panic to report that his wife had been shot in the face. During the call, he could be heard asking, “What the hell did you do?” according to WCMH.

Around 10 seconds later, he could be heard yelling: ‘Oh! What the hell?’ after allegedly reporting a second gunshot and seeing someone flee through the front door.

Police responded to the family’s Bean-Oller Drive home and transported Tamela to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead after being shot in the back of the neck, according to the court affidavit.

An initial investigation uncovered a second bullet lodged in the home’s wall – the exact spot where Tamela’s husband had been standing before dropping down to try to save her life. 

It remains unclear which man fired the fatal shot, but court documents alleged that one of the men also took aim at her husband and missed. 

Tamela’s husband told deputies there were about 100 guns inside the home, including a .380-caliber pistol that matched the shell casings recovered at the scene. 

When police interviewed Bryanna at the hospital, she immediately denied any knowledge of the attack, despite having been home when it unfolded. 

Although she said she did not know whether the back door was locked, the teen told police she would have seen anyone entering through it and insisted that she never saw a shooter inside the home. 

She also claimed she could not think of anyone angry enough to shoot her parents, according to the affidavit obtained by Oxygen, but told investigators that a friend of her mother’s had owed her money.

When pressed further, however, Bryanna began revealing new details – including that she was dating Evans, who is black, and that her parents were ‘very racist.’

She said they would have kicked her out if they learned about the relationship, but claimed Evans was ‘okay’ with their racism and was not involved in the shooting, according to the court documents.

Bryanna then admitted that months earlier, her boyfriend’s friend, Payne, had threatened to kidnap her family, telling police she was scared of him. 

In an earlier incident, Delaware City police said they had responded to Evans’ home after Bryanna was injured, with her claiming she hit her throat against a wall while the pair were ‘roughhousing.’

Bryanna later confessed to arguing with her mother about cleaning shortly before the shooting, then claimed – without evidence – that her mother had punched her in the nose. 

She said she then vented to Evans over the phone, where he allegedly replied: ‘If I were you, I would have killed her.’

Evans and Payne showed up at the home later that night, but Bryanna told detectives she couldn’t leave because she had chores to do. About 15 minutes later, she said, a gunshot rang out. 

In the probable cause affidavit, however, police wrote: ‘It is believed that Bryanna repeatedly lied to law enforcement about her knowledge of the circumstances involving this incident, which delayed identifying leads and suspects.’

Surveillance cameras captured Evans’ car near the scene shortly after the shooting, before tracking it heading toward the West Virginia border hours later. 

Investigators ultimately traced the vehicle back to Evans’ Delaware home, where he and Payne were spotted outside dumping white garbage bags, according to WCMH. 

The suspects were surrounded and arrested, but both remained tight-lipped when questioned by detectives. Police said the white garbage bags contained part of a gun holster and two pairs of black pants.

Deputies said Evans spoke only once, telling them: ‘Sorry for what we did,’ according to court records.

Evans’ own father helped investigators piece together his movements, telling police his son had texted that he ‘f***ed up’ and providing Life360 data placing him near Tamela’s home around the time of her murder.

A chilling text exchange appeared to foreshadow the killing, with Evans allegedly telling Bryanna that ‘they need to be hidden once they both pass away’ and urging her to get a gun. 

‘Alr she’s living room he’s basement where you’re here lmk (let me know),’ Bryanna allegedly replied, according to the affidavit.

The documents stated that Evans told Bryanna the pair were getting ready and putting on gloves before allegedly instructing her to ‘tale (sic) them both out at the same time’ – a command she agreed to.

‘This has to be perfect,’ Evans allegedly wrote, to which Bryanna replied: ‘I’ll just take them down.’ 

He then allegedly asked Bryanna ‘how’ she planned to do it and whether she knew ‘about forensics and everything,’ before pressing her: ‘How close are you to doing this?’

The haunting final message from Bryanna, noted in the affidavit, simply read: ‘river or burn.’

Bryanna was initially accused only of obstructing justice by allegedly trying to shield them from investigators. But on Thursday, her charges were upgraded and all three were indicted in Tamela’s killing. 

The circumstances surrounding Tamela’s death have become even more unsettling following the revelation that she co-authored a paper titled ‘The Violent and Homicidal Adolescent: Hearts Darkened Before Time,’ according to NBC4 News. 

In the abstract, Tamela and co-author Daniel Davis explored different typologies linked to ‘adolescent murders.’

The report suggested that children often do not respond to ‘traditional, verbally oriented psychotherapy’ and recommended therapy rooted instead in art and creativity. 

Bryanna, Evans and Payne were each charged with aggravated murder and are expected in court for a preliminary hearing on Monday. 

Evans’ attorney asked for a lower bond, citing his lack of a criminal record and ties to the local community. The judge instead set his bond at $3 million cash or surety.

The same $3 million bond was set for Bryanna and Payne. All three were also ordered to have no contact with their co-defendants or Tamela’s family.

Additional charges are expected in connection with the alleged attempted murder of Bryanna’s father.