Dad Speaks Out After Estranged Wife, Missing Son Are Found Dead in Garage: 'Our Hearts Are Broken'
The father of the 6-year-old boy who was found dead with his mother in an apparent murder-suicide has released a statement calling his son an “amazing young boy.”
On Friday evening, Phillip Oliver “Ollie” Wiedemann and his 46-year-old mother, Candace Rochelle Harbin, were discovered dead inside a minivan, according to the Waxahachie Police Department.
Hours earlier, Ollie’s father John — who is estranged from Harbin — reported his son missing.
“Ollie was an amazing young boy who cared about people. He always wanted to make others happy and if ever a classmate was having a tough day, he would reach out to help them,” Wiedemann said in his statement obtained by NBC DFW and WFAA. “He loved swimming, Legos and superheroes, but most of all he loved going to school. Our hearts are broken and may never be whole again.”
Ollie was last seen Thursday afternoon at a vape store in Waxahachie with Harbin.
When authorities were unable to locate Ollie or contact Harbin, police issued an Amber Alert and an arrest warrant, for kidnapping, for Harbin. She did not have custody of the boy, the Dallas Morning News reports.
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At 6:30 p.m., Harbin’s minivan was found in a downtown Waxahachie parking garage. Both she and Ollie were unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have not released how the child and his mother died but they say it was a murder-suicide. Their bodies have been sent to the Dallas medical examiner for an autopsy.
“Nothing can be said or done that will bring Ollie back and we ask for privacy as we grieve. As there is an ongoing investigation, we ask that further requests and comments be directed to the Waxahachie Police Department,” Wiedemann said in his statement.
