Man, Two Boys Killed In South Jordan Double Murder-Suicide
Jun 2, 2020, 5:49 PM | Updated: Jun 3, 2020, 3:22 pm
SOUTH JORDAN, Utah – Officials with the South Jordan Police Department confirmed they are investigating what appeared to be a double murder-suicide after a man and two boys were found dead inside a Daybreak home.
Police said 8-year-old Seth Osborn and 10-year-old Ezra Osborn were killed by their father, Brian Osborn, 41.
The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon near 7300 West Pentenwell Lane, which is about 10700 South.
Lt. Matt Pennington with the South Jordan Police Department said a call to 911 led officers to the grim discovery.
“We have what we believe is a domestic murder-suicide at this point,” he said. “We have two young children who are deceased and an adult male.”
Detectives said the investigation indicated Brian Osborn was the boys’ biological father and had been separated from his wife.
Osborn was watching the boys at home while their mother was at work, officials said.
Police said Osborn had not lived at the home for several months and they believed the distressed 911 call came from the boys’ mother.
“He was here, from my understanding, watching the children when this took place,” Pennington said.
DEVELOPING: Significant police presence in South Jordan; awaiting details from investigators @KSL5TV #KSLTV #Utah pic.twitter.com/ETMbRC6d95
— Andrew Adams (@AndrewAdamsKSL) June 2, 2020
Neighbors and investigators were having a hard time making sense of the killings. One neighbor sent KSL a message, saying the boys were “sweet” and the deceased father was “quiet” and “polite.”
Hearts were aching for the boys’ mother after what police found.
“There are hardly words for how tragic this is,” said Dawn Ramsey, mayor of South Jordan. “It’s not something you expect to hear. It’s not something that should happen.”
The police presence said plenty. Unnerving noises from just up the street left neighbors at a loss for words.
“This is one of the worst (calls) you’re going to go on,” said Pennington. “We’ve all got young kids. That’s going to be a real difficult one to deal with for all of us.”
As the bad news spread, neighbors said they were just too heartbroken to talk about it. The boys had played with their children.
Investigators were trying to determine a motive but struggled to find the answers to a horrific crime.
“From what I know at this point, there was nothing leading up to this,” said Pennington.
Police did acknowledge a history of domestics at the home but said there was no evidence of those issues leading up to Tuesday’s tragic events.
Domestic Violence Resources
Call the Utah Domestic Violence Hotline (Utah Link line) at 1-800-897-LINK for help and resources statewide.
Individuals can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Salt Lake City residents can reach out to the Salt Lake City Police Department’s 24-hour hotline directly, at 801-580-7969. All services are free, and callers can get information anonymously.
