Survivor of Okla. Family Murder-Suicide, 10, Is 'Surrounded by Love’ in Aftermath of Horror
Oklahoma City police said the boy called 911 on the morning of April 22 after discovering five bodies in his home
GoFundMe
Lindsay Candy with her sons.After waking up to find his parents and older brothers dead inside their family home, a 10-year-old Oklahoma boy is “surrounded by love,” his uncle says.
Since the April 22 tragedy, the boy — who Oklahoma City police said called 911 that morning after discovering five bodies in his home — has been staying with relatives, according to a GoFundMe campaign created by the boy’s uncle, Brent Remerowski.
“We spent time with our family this weekend, and my nephew was able to be surrounded by love and thankfully some of his friends during this trying time,” Remerowski wrote in an April 29 update. “All the attention has made me reflect on the road ahead, and what will happen when all of this attention goes away and what's left is the reality of the situation. I guess that's when the real work will start, and the donations you are making now will be most meaningful for my nephew."
Despite the horror, Remerowski is hopeful that his nephew will recover emotionally.
“There is no quick fix, but thanks to all of you who have donated or shared this message, my nephew has a chance at a normal life,” he wrote.
As of April 29, the fundraiser has garnered more than $55,000 in donations that Remerowski previously said will go towards “funeral expenses, counseling, education, and the child's general welfare.”
Related: Loved Ones of Okla. Murder-Suicide Victims Pay Tribute: ‘I Could Have Never Imagined That'
The boy’s nightmare began when he woke up to find their bodies that morning, according to police. Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Gary Knight said last week that the boy was in his room sleeping with the door closed and a box fan on during the murders, presumably muffling any sound, ABC News reported.
“There is no indication he didn't sleep through it,” Knight said, according to the outlet.
According to police, Jonathon Candy, 42, carried out the killings of his wife, Lindsay Candy, 39, and three of their four children — Dylan Candy, 18, Ethan Candy, 14, and Lucas Candy, 12 — after an argument inside their family home. Jonathon then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Jonathon Candy;Ethan Candy;Dylan Candy/Facebook
From left: Jonathon Candy, Ethan Candy, Dylan Candy, and Lindsay Candy. (Not pictured: Lucas Candy.).Police have said they never received calls to the family’s home prior to the murders and that they had no history of domestic abuse reports. Authorities have yet to share a motive for the shooting.
Following the murders, the Candy family released a statement to local Oklahoma station KFOR on April 23, expressing shock and describing Jonathon as “goofy.”
“Our entire family has been left shattered and confused with so many questions we won’t ever have answers to,” the statement read, according to the outlet. “Jonathon was the one whose jokes and goofy attitude kept everyone smiling. Aside from these events, his children and wife were his entire life.”
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The statement continued, “I simply can’t fathom what went on but please, hug your family tight. It’s going to be a very long healing process for everyone affected.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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