A Missouri community is mourning the tragic loss of grade school siblings who were discovered fatally shot in a burning home last week.
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Jeffrey Hatcher, 8, and his 6-year-old sister, Charlotte, were found dead inside a burning home on Northwest 91st Terrace in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, January 2. According to Kansas City police and local reports, including coverage by KMBC, both children appeared to have suffered gunshot wounds.
The children’s father, 38-year-old Zachary Hatcher, was also discovered inside the home, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to KMBC, authorities have confirmed that Hatcher fatally shot Jeffrey and Charlotte before taking his own life.
Police conducted a welfare check at a residence on Thursday evening, according to local reports. Upon arrival, officers noticed smoke billowing from the house. Shortly after entering, they were forced to retreat as the fire rapidly spread throughout the home.
After firefighters extinguished the blaze, police discovered Jeffrey and Charlotte inside with their father. Charlotte and her father were pronounced dead at the scene. Meanwhile, Jeffrey succumbed to his injuries later at the hospital.
School District ‘Grieving Over the Loss’ of Fatally Shot Siblings
The Platte County R-3 School District confirmed to People that both children were enrolled in the district. Jeffrey was a second-grader, while Charlotte attended kindergarten at Pathfinder Elementary.
“The Platte County R-3 School District is grieving over the loss of Pathfinder Elementary 2nd grader Jeffrey Hatcher, and kindergartner Charlotte Hatcher, who tragically passed away on January 2,” the district said in a letter to families, per local outlet KSHB. “Our thoughts are with the Hatcher family during this difficult time.”
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign has been created to help cover funeral expenses.
“Words cannot fully express the indescribable pain and sorrow we are experiencing as we mourn their passing,” the campaign’s message reads in part. “Their mother, Cecelia, along with Jeffrey and Charlotte’s family and friends, are all heartbroken by this unimaginable tragedy. Although their time with us was far too short, we are committed to cherishing and honoring their memory, as they brought immeasurable joy and light into the lives of everyone who knew them.”
Jeffrey is fondly remembered in his obituary as a “voracious reader” with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. This earned him the title of his school’s “Keeper of Odd Knowledge.”