Editor’s note: If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts, addictive tendencies, stress and other mental health issues, you can call or text 988, Oklahoma’s Mental Health Hotline, or call 911.
Oklahoma City police believe a father shot his wife and three of his children to death inside their Yukon-area home before turning the gun on himself, in what officials are calling a massacre.
Around 9:35 a.m. Monday, police responded to a call regarding five people dead inside the home at 2804 Mirage St. Investigators believe Jonathon Candy, 42, shot and killed his wife, Lindsay Candy, 39, as well as their 18-year-old son Dylan Candy, 14-year-old son Ethan Candy and 12-year-old son Lucas Candy before killing himself.
A fourth child, a 10-year-old boy, was in the home but left unharmed. He woke up Monday morning to discover what had happened to his family and made the 911 call himself, Master Sgt. Gary Knight said at a news conference Tuesday.
“Investigators determined that sometime overnight the husband and father in the home, Jonathon Candy, became involved in an altercation with his wife, Lindsay,” Knight said. “At some point, he armed himself with a gun, shot her multiple times, killing her. At that point, he systematically went through the home, shooting and killing their children.”
5 dead in Yukon-area home ‘nothing short of a massacre’
Knight said police don’t know why the youngest child was left unharmed, but that he was released to family members at the scene.
Investigators found no signs of a struggle, and Knight said at least one of the children was shot in bed.
“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,” Knight added.
Knight said police found no previous calls to the residence or reports of domestic violence.
What we know:Police investigate after 5 dead in Yukon-area murder-suicide
Anyone with information that could help the investigation can call the homicide tip line at 405-297-1200.
The home is within Oklahoma City limits between Yukon and Mustang. Ethan and Lucas Candy were Mustang Public Schools students, while Dylan Candy was a 2023 Mustang graduate, according to information released by the school district Monday.
Neighbor in disbelief over news of Candy family murder-suicide
As cars drove down Mirage Street on Tuesday to get a glimpse of the house at the end of the cul-de-sac, where the Candys’ two family vehicles are still parked, neighbor Michael Burcham, 68, told The Oklahoman that Jonathon Candy was not someone who kept to himself.
Candy was always helping others in the several years he knew him, Burcham said. Candy helped him out with both his car and lawnmower, and helped another neighbor with ceiling fans. Candy and Burcham spent time flying their drones together, and Burcham saw him as a friend. He said he never saw or heard of any incidents between Candy and his wife, Lindsay.
Candy had guns, as well as food stored up, but not so much that it seemed out of the ordinary, Burcham said.
Burcham said he and his neighbors were in disbelief Monday when they heard the news of the family’s deaths.
“All day we just couldn’t imagine,” he said. “He must have really been having a hard time,” Burcham added of Candy.
Candy and Burcham had both previously shared with each other they each struggled with depression.
Burcham said something must have triggered Candy for something like this to take place, but the cause is likely something he and his neighbors will never know.
