Candy family: What we know about the Yukon-area family whose 'souls radiated brightness'

Tragedy struck a beloved Oklahoma City family earlier this week, and neighbors, friends and acquaintances are still trying to make sense of the news.

Police said Lindsay Candy, 39, and three of her sons, Dylan Candy, 18, Ethan Candy, 14, and Lucas Candy, 12, were shot and killed overnight Monday by husband and father Jonathon Candy, 42, before he turned the gun on himself. A fourth child, a boy police said is 10, was unharmed and made the 911 call to report what happened to his family.

Investigators still don't know what drove Candy to kill his wife, children and himself. Police found no record of being called to the house previously, or any reports of domestic abuse. There were no signs of a struggle, and the gun was found on top of Candy, according to an application for a search warrant read to The Oklahoman by a law enforcement official.

Master Sgt. Gary Knight told The Oklahoman Friday that police are no longer investigating the case and don't expect to release any further information. However, the chief medical examiner's office will determine the final cause and manner of death for each individual. Those autopsy reports could take weeks or even months to complete.

A neighbor of the family, Michael Burcham, 68, told The Oklahoman he and other neighbors were in disbelief over what had happened. He said it was hard to imagine the family no longer living in the home at the end of the cul-de-sac.

"I already miss (them)," Burcham said.

More: Oklahoma grapples with American phenomenon of family annihilation: What we can learn

Rhonda Armstrong has known the family for three years, since Ethan joined her husband's baseball team with Mustang Youth Sports, and said each of "their souls radiated brightness."

"Every time I went over to that house, or they came over to my house, it was just smiling and laughing," Armstrong said. "I could have the worst day at work and completely forget about my troubles the second I saw their smiles ... (They were) the most kindest, sweetest, best people I've ever known in my whole life."

Lindsay Candy 'loved with her entire heart'

Lindsay Candy grew up in Prague, Oklahoma, according to her Facebook page and a post from a childhood friend, Kami Cruz.

Cruz and Lindsay "sang side by side in church" growing up, and attended school together until graduating in 2002. There was one Sunday, Cruz wrote, she and Lindsay were hiding in the treehouse and fell asleep. No one could find them, despite them being right in Lindsay's backyard, and the cops were eventually called.

"Long story short, our parents laughed, we didn’t get in trouble and continued making memories ever since," Cruz said.

Cruz and Lindsay shared a friendship that always picked up where it left off, and hearing the news of the Candy family's death has been "devastating" and "unimaginable" for Cruz, she said.

"I have been without words for so many hours, without tears because I don’t know how to process this," Cruz wrote. "You were so loved! You were so special to so many people! Loved fiercely by your boys! Brought laughter to every conversation, and even more so with “the girls”! Your sisters best friend and light in your Mom and Dads life!"

Armstrong and Lindsay grew close as they cheered on their sons in baseball, and she said Lindsay cheered the loudest of them all.

"She was the type of person that would give you the shirt off of her back," Armstrong said. "She loved so hard, and she was so kind ... She treated my son like her own, and there was never any question or doubt if she loved Cooper any less than Ethan. That was just the type of mom and person that she was, she just loved with her entire heart."

Dylan Candy was 'happy all the time,' 'passionate' about music

Dylan Candy was the oldest of four boys, who made sure his brother, Ethan, was at baseball practice and attended almost every baseball game, Ethan's Little League coach, TJ Armstrong, told The Oklahoman.

He was "an incredible young man with a big heart," his middle school choir teacher Becky Young Horton wrote on Facebook.

Dylan graduated from Mustang High School in May 2023 and attended Oklahoma Baptist University during the fall semester to play the first bass drum in the Bison Brigade, the school's marching band. Dylan wasn't the section leader due to his freshman status, but he was placed on the more complex first bass because he had "a lot of chops and good hands," said Brian Stackhouse, OBU's director of athletic bands.

"Dylan Candy, every day, was a delight to work with," Stackhouse said. "He was very happy all the time. If he had a rough day, he would still be (friendly) to everybody ... He was a great example of working through hard situations, perseverance, and dedicating themselves to something greater, a team and always showing up and doing his absolute best. And we all look up to him for that."

Dylan was "passionate" about music and drumming, Stackhouse said, and was a very social person and made friends easily within the band.

"That's one of the things he was looking for, was an outlet to gain friends and to continue his love of music," Stackhouse said.

Stackhouse said a memory of Dylan that stood out was when the drummers were rehearsing their drumline cadence for the first time at band camp in August 2023. Dylan hadn't realized until then that it included a solo for him.

"His eyes just lit up like dinner plates, a smile crept across his face from ear to ear," Stackhouse said. "And then he couldn't sit still after that ... he was just so excited and giddy about it. It's one of those moments that teachers and coaches store away in their hearts and memories."

Stackhouse provided a list of resources for his band students when he found out about Dylan's death, encouraging the students to not deal with the tragic news on their own. Dylan's bass drum and uniform will be retired, and Stackhouse said he is working on putting together a memorial for the floor where the band department resides on campus.

Ethan Candy was 'the light of the room'

The Candy family spent many hours at baseball practice and games, as Ethan was involved in playing baseball for Mustang Youth Sports starting with T-ball until his death.

The league posted on social media that Ethan was described by coaches as "an amazing kid that could make you laugh no matter how tough your day had been."

Armstrong's son, Cooper Armstrong, and Ethan became best friends during their time playing baseball together.

"They just bonded over being funny and being positive," Armstrong said. "We call them twins, on the team, just because they were connected at the hip. There wasn't one without the other, ever, and they just became really close."

TJ Armstrong, Ethan's coach, endearingly called him "my sweet little Candyman."

"What can you say about a candle? He was the light of the room and our team," TJ Armstrong said. "He made my son a happier, outgoing kid. He was constantly smiling and laughing."

Armstrong said the team is working on setting up a memorial bench for Ethan at the Mustang Youth Sports complex. Ethan was in the ninth grade and attended Mustang High School.

Lucas Candy was 'happy, kind, smart as a whip'

Lucas Candy was the second-youngest brother and was in the sixth grade at Meadow Brook Intermediate.

Armstrong said everyone called him Luke, and he was always playing with the other younger baseball siblings during practice or games.

"You'd constantly see them just running up and down the bleachers, and throwing the ball to each other, and playing in the dirt," Armstrong said. "Just being kids and being happy, that's all I ever seen him be was just this happy, kind, smart as a whip kid."

Jonathon Candy remembered as 'a great guy,' someone who always helped others

TJ Armstrong called Jonathon Candy "a great guy" in a message to The Oklahoman.

"[First] time I met him, he introduced himself and shook my hand so hard I felt like a cartoon character," Armstrong said. "He was constantly thanking us for everything and giving us hugs."

Jonathon Candy was a part-time game night engineer for the OKC Thunder, Oklahoma City's NBA team, according to Dan Mahoney, the vice president of broadcasting and corporate communications for the Thunder.

Burcham, Jonathon's neighbor, also shared only positive memories of the husband and father.

Jonathon was always helping others in the several years he knew him, Burcham said. He helped Burcham out with both his car and lawnmower and helped another neighbor with ceiling fans.

Jonathon 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.

But Burcham said he and Jonathon had confided in each other that they each struggle with depression.

"He must have really been having a hard time," Burcham said, but acknowledged he and others may never know what led to the family's violent end.

"I have lots of love for the Candys and will miss them tremendously," TJ Armstrong said. "Just remember that this was a beautiful family with amazing souls and we just want to remember the positive memories for [the surviving child]."

How to support the Candy family's surviving child

A GoFundMe has been set up to support the surviving child and the family he has been placed with.

The funds raised will provide help with "funeral expenses, counseling, education, and the child's general welfare," according to the GoFundMe page.

Brent Remerowski, the creator of the page, said he is setting up a Bank Trust account if donors prefer to send funds in that format. Information will be posted on the GoFundMe when that is created, he said.

Donations also can be mailed to Remo Advisors, Remerowski's office, at 3555 NW 58 St., Suite 620, Oklahoma City, OK 73112.

Contributing: Josh Dulaney and Alexia Aston

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What we know about the Yukon-area Candy family before tragedy struck