8 of Oklahoma family who were found dead inside burning home were shot, confirms autopsy
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised.
TULSA, OKLAHOMA: A family of eight, consisting of six children and two parents, who were found dead by the police in a house fire, actually died of gunshot wounds, revealed the autopsy results. Initially, Oklahoma authorities had suspected that the incident was not an accidental fire, but rather an octuple murder-suicide.
Brian Nelson, 34, and his wife Brittney, 32, were discovered dead inside their residence in Broken Arrow home in Tulsa on October 27, 2022. The police subsequently found bodies of the couple's six children -- Brian II, 13; Brantley, nine; Vegeta, seven; Ragnar, five; Kurgan, two; and Britannica, one -- who were believed to have perished in the fire. However, further reports indicated that each child had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, while preliminary autopsy findings indicated that Britney and Nelson had suffered gunshot wounds to their heads. The police are investigating the manner of death of the parents.
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Bodies were riddled with gunshot wounds
Britney and Nelson were discovered by authorities at the front of the house, while the children were found in the bedroom where the fire had broken out. The eldest child, Brain II, had sustained at least six injuries. Although each child had burns on their body, the autopsy concluded that they had died from gunshot wounds. While the children's deaths were ruled as a homicide, the manner of death for the parents remains unknown. "Broken Arrow police investigators have reviewed the medical examiner’s reports in reference to the incident we reported as an octuple murder-suicide," the police department said on Monday, April 24, 2023.
Family was burdened with significant amount of financial debt
According to a relative who spoke to Tulsa World in October 2022, the family was apparently going through financial difficulties and grappling with substantial debt. They were unemployed and relying on benefits to make ends meet, while owing $138,000. Brian's parents, Danny and Marilyn, acknowledged that the couple's financial woes were exacerbated by the close succession of their two youngest children's births.
According to the outlet, the parents declared bankruptcy in December 2020, stating that they were unemployed and reliant on welfare benefits as their only source of income. Despite this, they possessed nine firearms and had some assets, to their names. In the year leading up to their deaths, Brian's parents had become increasingly estranged from the couple. Nevertheless, they provided assistance by covering some utility expenses and looking after their grandchildren.
