Students in Newtown head back to class as more victims laid to rest

NEWTOWN, CONN. — Students in Newtown, Conn., were back in class on Tuesday except those from Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Parents and residents continue to cope with grief as more details emerge on what detectives are focusing their investigation on.

Tuesday will be another difficult day for residents as five more services are held for victims.

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Services will be held in Connecticut for Charlotte Bacon, Jessica Rekos, Daniel Barden and Vicki Sot, while the funeral for 6-year-old Emilie Parker will be held in her home state of Utah.

But in the midst of the grief, a small step toward normalcy as the town's students head back to school except at Sandy Hook, which remains a crime scene.

In the neighboring town of Monroe, volunteers continue to prepare an unused middle school for the Sandy Hook students to attend.

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"I definitely at the very least want to give the children the opportunity to see their new school and become as comfortable as they possibly can in the new area," said Newtown Board of Education member Debbie Leidein.

The criminal investigation is proceeding as authorities comb through every inch of gunman Adam Lanza's life searching for clues that could help explain why the tragedy occurred.

Gun shops and firing ranges within 15 miles of the school are being canvassed by local, state and federal police.

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"I think they're just trying to look at the last couple of months to see what went on, but they were satisfied that he had not been here," said store owner Dean Price.

Lanza's mother, Nancy, legally bought the Bushmaster assault-style rifle that he used to kill her and the other victims. Experts question why she trained him to use such a dangerous weapon at a time when she knew he suffered from serious mental issues.

"It's just an extremely poor decision on her part.  You're really talking about a sort of psychological switch that I think got turned on for him with the access of the weapons and then the ready availability," said security expert Brad Garrett.

ABC News has learned that the gunman had not seen his father or brother in two years. And though he visited firing ranges, federal agents said they found no evidence he practiced shooting in preparation for the massacre.

For complete coverage of the Connecticut shootings, click here.

Related stories:

• National retailer pulls semi-automatic rifles from shelves
• Local vigils set to honor Conn. victims Tuesday
• Over 2 dozen local chaplains in Conn. helping victims
• Local families who lost loved ones to gun violence express sadness
• 2 children killed in Conn. shooting laid to rest Monday
• Shooting reinvigorates debate over gun control with lawmakers

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