Mississippi Mom Fearing for Kids’ Safety Kills Escaped Lab Monkey

‘If it attacked somebody’s kid, and I could have stopped it, that would be a lot on me,’ said Jessica Bond Ferguson, a mother of five who shot the primate.

People wearing protective clothing search along a highway in Heidelberg, Miss., near the site of an overturned truck that was carrying research monkeys, on Oct. 29, 2025. Sophie Bates/AP Photo

One of three virus-infected monkeys that escaped on a highway in Mississippi this past week was shot and killed by a homeowner who said she feared for her children’s safety.

Jessica Bond Ferguson told authorities that her 16-year-old son walked into their home and told her he thought he spotted one of the primates.