A mother and her three young children, aged 10 months, 6, and 11 years, were found dead following a three-hour standoff with law enforcement at her home in Oklahoma. 

The mother, identified as Brandy McCaslin, 39, had reportedly taken her own life as well as her children’s.

The incident occurred during a supervised visitation at McCaslin’s home in Verdigris, on Thursday, July 20, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Police responded to reports of fireworks being discharged in the vicinity of the property. Upon investigating, they found McCaslin, armed and barricaded inside the house along with the children.

Despite intensive efforts, negotiations with the distressed mother were unsuccessful, leading to a protracted standoff. When officers finally entered the house, they discovered that McCaslin had fatally shot her three children before committing suicide.

The standoff was initiated around 4 p.m. when a Verdigris police officer noticed a Roman candle being fired from a broken garage window. A closer inspection led to the discovery of a woman and two children in the garage, with the woman apparently using the fireworks as a distress signal.

The woman had come to the house with her two children and one of McCaslin’s children for a supervised visit, but McCaslin threatened her with a gun, took her child, and locked the woman in the garage with her kids. They were able to escape after police arrived on the scene.

Verdigris Police Chief Jack Shackelford told the media that he and his officers had been to the McCaslin residence several times for child welfare and domestic violence incidents. McCaslin had a history of substance abuse and mental health issues.

Friends of McCaslin expressed shock at the tragic incident, although they also acknowledged her evident underlying struggles. They recalled McCaslin appearing happy in a recent Facebook photo with her infant son.

Billy Jacobson, the father of the infant, remembered his child as “perfect and sweet,” while sharing fond memories of their time together.

In response to this devastating tragedy, a GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist the Jacobson family. Billy Jacobson said McCaslin was mad at him due to their breakup and had tried to commit suicide in January.