Jonathon Candy shot his wife Lindsay and their three sons Dylan, Ethan and Lucas Candy to death before turning the gun on himself in their Oklahoma City home, police say. (KOKH/YouTube)
Investigators in Oklahoma are trying to determine why a husband and father murdered his wife and their three sons yet left their youngest child, a 10-year-old boy, unharmed before turning the gun on himself in what was described as a massacre.
The surviving boy called 911 around 9:35 a.m. Monday and said he woke up to find his entire family dead in their home at the end of a cul-de-sac in west Oklahoma City, according to Master Sgt. Gary Knight. Cops rushed to the home and found no survivors, Knight told reporters at a press conference Tuesday. Investigators determined at some point in the middle of the night, 42-year-old Jonathon Candy got into an altercation with his wife, Lindsay Candy, 39. He then apparently shot her multiple times.
“At that point, he systematically went through the home, shooting and killing their children,” Knight said. “It’s unclear what made him want to go through the home killing the children. But make no mistake about it, what happened in that residence was nothing short of a massacre. Those children were hunted down and killed.”
Jonathon Candy then shot himself to death, Knight said. The sons were identified as Dylan Candy, 18, Ethan Candy, 14, and Lucas Candy, 11. Lindsay Candy and one of the children were found dead downstairs while the other two sons were found upstairs. At least one was found in a bed, Knight said.
Knight said police had no prior calls for service or any indications of domestic violence. Investigators will speak to friends and family to see if they know anything. The surviving boy was released to a family member. It’s unknown why the boy escaped unharmed.
“I know that’s a question everybody has,” Knight said “That’s a question we have, too. In the end, nobody ever is going to have an answer for that.”
The incident has been horrible for all involved from friends and family to the investigators processing the scene, he said.
“Certainly most horrible for that young man who woke up and found that carnage inside the home,” said Knight.
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Neighbors were searching for answers as to why the man known for helping others would slaughter his own family. Michael Burcham, 68, told The Oklahoman newspaper that Jonathon Candy fixed his car and lawn mower. Burcham said the accused murder previously told him he struggled with depression.
“All day we just couldn’t imagine,” Burcham told the outlet. “He must have really been having a hard time.”
Ethan’s death has left his baseball teammates reeling. He played for a team called the Mustang Misfits. Rhonda Armstrong, known as the “team mom,” couldn’t believe what happened.
“At this point, I just wish the nightmare would be over. I wish it was all a bad dream and that we would wake up and they would still be here,” she told local Fox affiliate KOKH.
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