Authorities: 6 found dead after house fire were fatally shot

Authorities believe Scott Westerhuis fatally shot his wife and four children with a shotgun last Thursday, set their rural South Dakota house on fire, then turned the weapon on himself.

The deaths of Nicole Westerhuis and children Kailey, Jaeci, Connor and Michael have been ruled homicides, the statement said. It says the manner of death for father Scott Westerhuis is suspected suicide.

The Charles Mix County Sheriff’s Office and the state Division of Criminal Investigation are conducting interviews, collecting evidence and doing forensic tests, the attorney general’s office said.

On September 17, firefighters were called to the Platte area home around 5:30 a.m. The town is located about 110 miles west of Sioux Falls.

Fire authorities said the house was nearly devastated when firefighters arrived.

Scott Westerhuis, left, with his sons, Michael and Connor, and wife, Nicole.

Leland Steva is in Platte to hear local reaction from the community. They provided speech, language and hearing services to the schools, according to the Capital Journal. The four Westerhuis children were described as active in various sports and activities.

A statement released Tuesday morning says Mid-Central Educational Cooperative is shocked and incredibly saddened to learn the tragic news about the Westerhuis family. The remains of the family were found in the debris sifted through by first responders. “They came back to raise their children here”, Guericke added.

“Their family was inseparable”, Kristina Sprik told the newspaper.