Bernadine Pruessner, Ferguson, Missouri mom embroiled in child custody battle sets house on fire, killing self and her four children in murder-suicide. Had posted hours earlier on Facebook.
A Missouri mother embroiled in a custody battle set fire to a home that killed her four children along with herself, just hours after posting online that the kids were ‘peacefully sleeping’ in her bed.
Bernadine ‘Birdie’ Pruessner, 38, died in a Monday morning fire at her Ferguson home alongside 9-year-old twins Ellie and Ivy, 5-year-old Jackson and 2-year-old Millie.
Preliminary investigations have revealed it to be a murder-suicide, St. Louis County Police Department spokesperson Sergeant Tracy Panus told media.
‘I’d do absolutely anything for them’
It was determined the parent, a local teacher had taken her own life and that of her four young children after setting a mattress inside the residence ablaze, the Kansas City Star reported.
‘It is believed that Bernadine intentionally set a mattress on fire as that was the point of origin for the fire,’ Panus said. ‘A note was also left stating Bernadine’s intentions to take her life and the lives of her children.’
Posted the mom just hours before on the evening of February 19: ‘All my kids, peacefully sleeping in my bed, curled up together. Knowing they are loved so fiercely that I’d do absolutely anything for them. This is my favorite moment.’
A neighbor awoke shortly after 4:30 am and saw the glow of flames through his window. He ran over and banged on the door to rouse the family while his wife phoned 911.
Other neighbors said they did not hear smoke detectors.
Firefighters from four municipalities were called to combat the ‘powerful blaze.’
‘Ugly scenario’
Pruessner was reportedly involved in child custody court battles with the two fathers of her four children.
‘I’ve been doing this for 36 years and this is probably one of the ugliest custody scenarios,’ her attorney, Nathan Cohen, told KTVI.
Pruessner was a teacher who worked in both Missouri and Illinois.
She received the Missouri Teacher of the Year Award from the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence in 2013.
In 2022, Pruessner joined Lewis and Clark Community College as a full-time faculty member after serving as an adjunct instructor.
Two fathers release statements
The 38-year-old held teaching certifications in agriculture, elementary education, English language arts, early childhood education and family and consumer science.
Jared Spader, the father of Jackson and Millie, released a statement in conjunction with David Pruessner, the father of Ellie and Ivy.
‘What I would want everyone to know about my two wonderful children is they are the greatest gift that a father could ever ask for,’ it read.
‘Jackson was the most incredible older brother, kind, intuitive and gentle. He loved his sisters, being outside, sports, art and he was always so in tune with the needs of others.
‘Millie was a funny, charismatic, sweet, and kind little sister who brightened every moment of every day for all of us.’
The statement continued: ‘They were the two most beautiful souls that a father could ask for, and they were a gift to our lives in every way. As Dads right now we have to focus on honoring the four beautiful lives and we plan to do that together.’
The fathers thanked the community for its support, citing the generosity of both strangers and loved ones. ‘We will continue to need it,’ they wrote.
Ferguson is about 10 miles northwest of St. Louis.
