Police: Missouri fire that killed a woman and her 4 children was a murder-suicide

FERGUSON, Mo. — A fire that killed five members of a Missouri family was intentionally set by the mother, police said.

St. Louis County police announced late Wednesday that a preliminary investigation ruled that the deaths of Bernadine Pruessner, her twin 9-year-old daughters Ivy and Lillie Pruessner, and her children 5-year-old Jackson Spader and 2-year-old Millie Spader was a murder-suicide.

Police Sgt. Tracy Panus said in an email that investigators believe that Bernadine Pruessner, 39, set fire to a mattress. “A note was also left stating Bernadine’s intentions to take her life and the lives of her children,” Panus said.

Responding firefighters found the home in Ferguson engulfed in flames at 4:23 a.m. Monday. Neighbors had tried to save the family, but the fire was too intense.

EDITOR’S NOTE — If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org