Suburban Oklahoma family found dead in home after surviving child escapes murder-suicide: 'Makes you wonder'
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
One child escaped a murder-suicide that claimed the rest of the family in a suburban Oklahoma home Monday morning.
Jonathon Candy, 42, fatally shot his wife, Lindsay Candy, 39, and three sons - Dylan, 18, Ethan, 14, and Lucas, 12 - before turning the gun on himself, Oklahoma City police said in a statement.
A fourth, unnamed child avoided the fatal catastrophe and was released to family members.
"It remains a mystery as to what caused Mr. Candy to murder his wife and three of his children," according to police, which told Fox News Digital there weren't any previous domestic incident calls to the Yukon home.
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Mystery shrouded the murders for hours after responding officers found the dead family Monday morning.
Police knew by the injuries that they were killed, Sgt. Gary Knight said outside the home in Yukon, Oklahoma, an Oklahoma City suburb.
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The investigation quickly unfolded, and the evidence pointed to a murder-suicide.
"That's mind-blowing. In a house too, no less," a neighbor, Edgar Felix, told KOCO News 5, a local ABC affiliate. "It makes you wonder what kind of activity happened in that house."
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Two of the victims were current students in the Mustang Public School District, and the oldest son graduated last year.
School Superintendent Charles Bradley said, "We are shocked, and our hearts are broken; this tragedy simply defies understanding."
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"It is with a very heavy heart that I share some very sad news with all of you," Bradley said in a statement on Monday. "We confirmed that a tragedy occurred at a home within our District, and we can now confirm the deaths of two of our students (a 6th-grade student attending Meadow Brook Intermediate and a 9th-grade student attending Mustang High School) along with a recent (2023) MPS graduate.
"While this has been a very difficult year for the MPS Family, both students and adults may struggle with managing their feelings and reactions to this news."
Bradley said the district organized a crisis response team and urged parents to monitor their children's behavior, even if they didn't know the victims.
"Feelings of anger, hurt, guilt and sadness are natural," he said. "Common grief reactions include sleep disturbances, temporary loss of appetite, anxiety and fears about the health and safety of friends and family.
"Some suggestions for dealing with your child’s questions and concerns include: Listen to your children and let them know that you are available to answer questions and be there for them at any time. Encourage your children to express their feelings and talk about your own feelings."
The school district listed resources, such as this website to help with these difficult conversations.
"As the greater Mustang school community processes this news, we would like you to know that students of Mustang Public Schools have access to counseling support," he said. "To utilize these services, students/families should simply contact their school counselor or administrator.
"We are here to help and partner with you. This is a difficult time for everyone, but I know our students and staff will lean on each other through this time."