U.S. News
Oklahoma Mother Kills Her 3 Children, Self Following Police Standoff
By Jake Beardslee · July 25, 2023
In brief…
- A mother in Verdigris, Oklahoma, took the lives of her three young children and then committed suicide during an hours-long standoff with the police.
- Police attempted to convince the mother to surrender, but she remained barricaded inside the home with her young children.
- When the police finally entered the home, they found all four individuals dead from gunshot wounds in an apparent murder-suicide.
- A shocked neighbor said he noticed signs of neglect in the home's exterior.
An Oklahoma mother took the lives of her three young children before turning the gun on herself on Thursday, according to authorities. The tragedy occurred after an hours-long standoff between 39-year-old Brandy McCaslin and police at her home in Verdigris, Oklahoma.
Bill Soicher, a neighbor who witnessed the incident, told NBC News, “I think it was around 3 o’clock and the police officers were here in massive numbers. Those are the guys I really feel sorry for that they have to go through that.”
Despite repeated attempts by officers to convince McCaslin to exit her home and surrender, authorities say she remained barricaded inside with her children - ages 11, 6 and a 10-month-old. After receiving no response from McCaslin, police entered the home where they discovered a gruesome scene: McCaslin and her three young children all dead from gunshot wounds in an apparent murder-suicide.
Neighbors were deeply shocked by the news. “I did see the kids come in and off the bus a couple of times,” said Blake Forsman, whose family lives across the street. He described the children as appearing to be okay - riding bikes, playing outside, coming home from school.
“Just normal, everyday kids,” Forsman added. But he did notice issues with the home’s exterior, including visible signs of neglect such as broken windows in the garage as well as strewn bikes and toys in the yard.
The community is now left grappling with the loss of three innocent lives. “Beautiful part is that those kids, they had nothing to do with anything and they’re gone. They’re gone. Those kids were the future of America,” said a heartbroken Soicher.