An Oklahoma mother who shot and killed her three children before turning the gun on herself showed warning signs months before the tragedy, according to the youngest victim’s father. Last week, 39-year old Brandy McCaslin killed herself after murdering her three young kids — 11-year-old Noe, 6-year-old Bryce and 9-month-old Billy — during a supervised visitation. Now, family of the victims are … [Read more...]
3 Children and Their Father Dead in an Apparent Triple-Murder-Suicide
Trinity Littlejohn, 3, Aliyah Littlejohn, 4, and Kyren Littlejohn, 6, were shot to death by their father while sitting in a parked SUV Authorities say a domestic incident drove an Oklahoma father to shoot his three young children to death, before turning the gun on himself. Days before the killings of 3-year-old Trinity Littlejohn, 4-year-old Aliyah Littlejohn and 6-year-old Kyren … [Read more...]
Help ProPublica and NBC News Investigate Termination of Parental Rights in the Child Welfare System
Journalists at ProPublica and NBC News would like to connect with people whose parental rights have been terminated in the past decade. We have received an outpouring of responses, and at this time, we are only looking for people with cases in Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. We want to understand how … [Read more...]
Father and Son, 11, Left Abusive Mother, But She Re-Entered Their Lives and Stabbed the Boy to Death
A woman allegedly stabbed her son, and then herself, deputies said. Victim Bruce Johnson Jr., 11, succumbed to his injuries — but not before telling investigators his mother stabbed him, according to the Lea County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico. “The investigation revealed that Bruce, Sr. had moved to Hobbs with his son from Oklahoma and left Mary behind after allegations she was abusing their … [Read more...]
Norton Shores Mom Accused of Torturing, Killing Son Faced ‘Similar Allegations’ in Custody Case
Shanda Vander Ark, then Shanda Ferguson, voluntarily surrendered custody in 2012, court documents show. Data obtained by 13 ON YOUR SIDE showed Shanda Vander Ark, also known as Shanda Ferguson, had 18 different addresses between Oklahoma and Virginia before settling into this quiet stretch of Norton Shores. It’s where 15-year-old Timothy Ferguson, the alleged victim, came to live with his … [Read more...]