Parents found stabbed to death in their home alongside three of their children have been identified as sons, 16 and 18, are held in custody in connection with their deaths
- David and April Bever were killed along with three of their children
- Police found the bodies of their daughter, seven, and sons, five and 12
- Officers responded to a 911 hang-up call by their 13-year-old daughter
- She is in a critical condition and another girl, two, is in state custody
- Their son Robert Bever, 18, and his brother, 16, have been arrested
By Wills Robinson and Jack Crone and Ashley Collman For Dailymail.com, Published: 21:32 GMT, 23 July 2015 | Updated: 21:57 GMT, 23 July 2015, Source
The family allegedly stabbed to death by two teenage brothers at their Oklahoma home on Wednesday night have been identified.
David, 52, and April Bever, 44, were found dead along with three of their seven children around 11:30 p.m in Broken Arrow, a town southeast of Tulsa, in what has been described as 'worst criminal event' in the community's history.
Police say the daughter who was killed was approximately five-years-old while the two boys were about seven and 12.
Their 13-year old daughter, who desperately called 911, is in a critical condition while their two-year-old daughter who was inside at the time was not injured and is now in state custody.
The suspects, 18-year-old son Robert Bever and his 16-year-old brother, have been arrested in connection with their deaths, KJRH have reported.
Police went to the address after receiving an 'open 911 call' - where someone calls the emergency number but does not speak.
When officers arrived, they found bodies of the two parents, two sons and a daughter - as well as the seriously injured 13-year-old girl and the unharmed toddler.
Broken Arrow police Cpl. Leon Calhoun said Thursday that officers were unable to enter the home when they arrived Wednesday night, but when they did, they said the scene was 'gruesome'.
But after hearing moans, they forced their way in and found a 13-year-old girl who survived the stabbing attack. They pulled her outside.
He says officers re-entered the home and pulled two more victims to the lawn because it wasn't immediately clear whether they were dead or if the attacker was still inside. The bodies of three other victims also were found inside the home
Sgt Thomas Cooper of the Broken Arrow Police Department described the scene as 'gruesome'.
'The crime scene has taken a pretty heavy toll on officers who have come out here,' he added. 'It hits close to home, especially when the victims are adults and juveniles. Our officers have a lot to take in.'
He also said: 'It appears that the two suspects fled out the door sometime during our arrival.'
A police K9 unit was able to track the young male suspects to some woods behind the well-to-do neighborhood in Broken Arrow.
They were arrested and brought into custody. One of the teenagers was later taken to hospital, but police have not said why.
They have not yet identified the suspects or the victims, but say they all appear to be related and living in the same home.
The 13-year-old girl who was found alive and suffering from stab wounds was reported to be in a serious but stable condition on Thursday, after undergoing surgery. Neighbors say she is expected to make a recovery.
The two-year-old girl is in protective custody. She was allegedly born prematurely and her parents had recently started a non-profit to help other families who have premature children.
Neighbors say the father worked in the computer industry while the mother stayed at home to home school the children, who were allegedly not allowed to play with the other children in the neighborhood.
Neighbor Helen Hoagland, who has lived in the neighborhood for 42 years, said she sometimes saw the mother outside with several children who she said she kept a close watch on.
'Whenever I'd see the children with the mom, they always seemed OK,' she said. 'I saw them outside playing. I'd see the boys out mowing the lawn.'
Coroner's vans also arrived early Thursday afternoon to remove the bodies that were found about 11:30pm Wednesday.
Two bodies that lay covered in the yard were the first to be removed; they were placed in green body bags and placed in the van.
Sgt Cooper told NBC News the incident was 'almost unprecedented' in the city of around 100,000.
The Broken Arrow Police Department and Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations are investigating.
According to public records, the family lived in one of the biggest and most expensive homes on the block, which sold for $245,000 in 2007.
The neighborhood is reportedly filled with mostly retired couples.
