Two late parents are being investigated as “primary suspects” in the deaths of their six young children in Oklahoma.
Family identified the couple as Brian Nelson, 34, and Brittney Nelson, 32, according to Tulsa World. Their children were son Brian II, 13, daughter Brantley, 9, son Vegeta, 7, son Ragnar, 5, son Kurgan, 2, and daughter Britannica, 1.
The adults were reportedly found dead in the front of their home on 425 S. Hickory Avenue on Thursday in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The children were in a back bedroom. The kids reportedly did not die from smoke or burns.
Cops said they responded at about 4:05 p.m. regarding a reported fire last Thursday.
“Preliminary details into this investigation have determined this incident is likely a murder-suicide involving two adults and six children,” said officers. “Additionally, the two adults are being investigated as the primary suspects.”
The medical examiner was going to determine the cause of death.
“Along with the eight deceased, investigators have recovered firearms inside the home,” cops said.
.@BA_Police can confirm 8 dead at a house in the 400 block of S Hickory Ave. BAPD continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. It is a complex scene given the state of the house due to the fire damage. This remains under investigation
— Broken Arrow Police (@BA_Police) October 28, 2022
This is the latest news release involving the homicide investigation. Follow @BA_Police social media for further updates. pic.twitter.com/KCdG6jZrsB
— Broken Arrow Police (@BA_Police) October 28, 2022
“All night last night, I kept saying: ‘It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real!'” grandmother Marilyn Nelson told Tulsa World, joined in an interview by her husband Danny. “And I couldn’t stop. But today, I know it’s real. Too real. I never dreamed this would happen.”
She and her husband described her son and Brittney Nelson living a challenging life. For example, Brian Nelson had sustained a terrible concussion years ago while at work for a retail chain.
“One night when he got there, the guy who had just gotten off work before him had spilled something and did not mop the floor and Brian fell, and he hit his head really hard,” Marilyn Nelson said. “The doctor said that it was a very rare concussion and told Brian that either it would go away or it would stay. And it stayed.”
He suffered “excruciating” headaches.
“The headaches were horrible, and he never knew when he was going to get them,” Marilyn said.
Brian and Brittney Nelson, both high school sweethearts, reportedly also filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy on Dec. 31, 2020. They had $138,000 in liabilities ($127,081 in student loan debt) but only $8,803 in assets. His parents said he did not hold a job down for long but spent much time in college, attending classes at Tulsa Community College and Oklahoma State University.
What assets Brian and Brittney reportedly did announce included five pistols, a .22-caliber rifle, and two shotguns. He always had a pistol on him, but “he had a permit,” Marilyn said.
Marilyn and Danny said they helped when possible with utility bills and babysat. When their son asked them to babysit on Thursday, it was so Brittney, who suffered from gallstones and seizures, could go to the doctor for an appointment. Danny agreed, asking his son to bring the children to his and Marilyn’s apartment. Brian said he would bring them over at five.
“Five came and went,” Danny said. “Then it was six. I texted them. No responses. I turned on the six o’clock news, and they said there had been a fire near Hickory and Galveston in Broken Arrow. That’s where my son lives.”
“I want people to know that at one time he had all his brain together,” Marilyn said of her son. “I just don’t understand why they did what they did. I just don’t understand why he ended up in that situation. I talk to God all the time, and I just don’t understand.”
