‘Indescribable Pain and Sorrow’: Dad & His 6- & 8-Year-Old Kids Found Dead Inside Burning Home

Sandy Kou/Facebook

Just a week after Christmas, police say a Kansas City father did the unthinkable. Zachary Hatcher, 38, allegedly killed his two children, Jeffrey Hatcher, 8, and Charlotte Hatcher, 6, in what appears to be a murder-suicide. Police arrived at Hatcher’s home on January 2, 2025, for a wellness check and saw and smelled smoke. Once inside, they found the father and his children with apparent gunshot wounds.

Now the children’s mother, Cecelia Hatcher, is mourning the loss of her children as the community surrounds her with love.

Police arrived at the home in north Kansas City late in the evening.

Officers from the Kansas City Police Department responded to a welfare call around 9:45 p.m., according to Fox 4. When they arrived, KCPD officers could see and smell smoke, so officers contacted the Kansas City Fire Department regarding a small fire inside the home. Once the fire was out, officers went inside and found Hatcher and his children with apparent gunshot wounds.

Two died at the scene.

Officers did their best to save Jeffrey. As Sergeant Phil DiMartino explained, per Fox 4, “Officers located a juvenile female with an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced deceased at the scene. They also located a juvenile male with a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital, where, unfortunately, he was pronounced deceased at the hospital. Officers located an adult male, also suffering with a gunshot wound, he was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

The children’s school district shared the devastating news with families.

The Kansas City Star reported that Jeffrey and Charlotte Hatcher attended Pathfinder Elementary School in the Platte County School District. He was in second grade, and she was a kindergartner. The district planned to share memorial information at a later time. The message read, “Our thoughts are with the Hatcher family during this difficult time.”

Loved ones create a GoFundMe account for Cecelia Hatcher.

Sandy Kou shared the family’s heartache on the fundraiser, writing, “Words cannot fully express the indescribable pain and sorrow we are experiencing as we mourn their passing. 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.”

The account has raised more than $33,000 of a $40,000 goal thus far.

Kansas City reported that five homicides occurred in the first three days of the year.

The news of the family’s death saddened DiMartino. “This police department, this City, is committed to continuing to work these cases to put a stop to these things,” he said, per Fox 4. “One homicide [is] too much, but here we are having endured five. It’s been a tough start to the year. I think it’s important that we take maybe a pause and reflect on what’s happened so far.”