Missouri house fire that killed mom and four children was murder-suicide, police say
A massive house fire in Missouri that killed a woman and her four children is believed to have been a murder-suicide, police said.
A massive house fire in Missouri that killed a woman and her four children is believed to have been a murder-suicide, police said.
The fire at the home in Ferguson, Missouri, killed Bernadine Pruessner, 39, and her children Ivy Pruessner, 9; Ellie Pruessner, 9; Jackson Spader, 6; and Millie Spader, 2, according to the St. Louis County Police Department.
Police said a preliminary investigation revealed that the case was a murder-suicide and that the mother started the blaze.
“It is believed that Bernadine intentionally set a mattress on fire as that was the point of origin for the fire. A note was also left stating Bernadine’s intentions to take her life and the lives of her children,” police said in a Wednesday statement.
Police responded to a call for service at the family’s home at 4:23 a.m. Monday, the St. Louis County Police Department said in the statement. The officers were told by fire personnel that four people had been found dead inside the house and that another person was found dead shortly after. At least one dog also died in the fire, police said.
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