A mother and her three young children, aged 9 months, 6, and 11 years, were found dead following a three-hour standoff with law enforcement at her home in Oklahoma.
Brandy McCaslin, 39, has been identified as the individual who ended both her life and those of her children.
This tragic event took place during a supervised visitation at the McCaslin household in Verdigris on the afternoon of July 20, as confirmed by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
Law enforcement was dispatched to the location after reports of potential fireworks being ignited from a garage. When police reached the scene, they found McCaslin locked inside the residence with her children, armed.
Despite efforts to negotiate with McCaslin, a deadlock ensued. When officers finally managed to enter the house, they found McCaslin and her children dead, with evidence pointing to a murder-suicide.
The stalemate began around 4 p.m., after a Verdigris police officer observed a Roman candle being launched from a damaged window in the garage. Subsequent investigation found another woman and two children locked inside the garage, using the fireworks as a means of drawing attention.
The woman, who came to the house for a supervised visit with her two children and one of McCaslin’s children, was threatened by McCaslin, who forcibly took her own child and locked the visiting woman and her children in the garage. They were able to flee once law enforcement arrived on the scene.
According to Verdigris Police Chief Jack Shackelford, law enforcement had visited the McCaslin home on numerous occasions due to child welfare concerns and domestic violence incidents. McCaslin was known to have struggled with mental health and substance abuse issues.
Friends, in disbelief over the tragic incident, remembered McCaslin’s battle with personal issues. They pointed out a recent Facebook picture in which McCaslin appeared joyful with her baby son.
Billy Jacobson, the father of the infant, described his child as “perfect and sweet,” sharing fond recollections. Following this tragic incident, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to assist the Jacobson family. Jacobson shared that McCaslin was deeply upset about their separation and had previously attempted suicide in January.