A mother was accused of killing her own children before turning the gun on herself in an alleged murder-suicide that rocked her community. Authorities are speaking out following the tragic death of 25-year-old Oreanna Myers who police believe set her home in Williamsburg, West Virginia, on fire after fatally shooting her three children and two stepchildren on December 8 in 2021.
Police rushed to Myers' home on Flynn’s Creek Road, and when they got there, the house was engulfed in flames.
People stated that Myers was found outside her home with a gun beside her. She had a gunshot wound to her head, WVNS reported. At first, police could not find her biological kids: 4-year-old Kian Myers, 3-year-old Aarikyle Nova Myers, Haiken Jirachi Myers, 1, and her stepkids, 7-year-old Shaun Dawson Bumgarner and Riley James Bumgarner, 6.
Several letters left taped to the floorboard of a vehicle revealed the horrifying truth.
One of the letters was addressed to “Whomever Finds This First.”
“This is no one’s fault but my own,” the note continued. “My demons won over me and there is no going back. So sorry I wasn’t strong enough. Thank you. XOXO, OAM.”
She also admitted to shooting her sons, setting the house on fire, and taking her own life.
“Mental health is serious,” she wrote. “I hope somebody someone will help others like me. Mental health is not to joke about or take lightly. When someone begs, pleads, cries out for help, please help them. You just might save a life, or more lives. Thank you, OAM.”
A third document found appeared to be a will Myers wrote that was found with a bloody fingerprint.
In a press conference on Thursday, Greenbrier County Sheriff Bruce Sloan shared another horrifying detail of the case.
“Mrs. Myers was wearing a coat with a hood,” he said. “She had a red line drawn across her face and the bridge of her nose, underneath her eyes, that went from ear to ear. Just a red line.”
Myers' husband, Brian Bumgarner, was staying with his father the week that the incident happened.
Police believe that before killing her children, Myers picked up Shaun and Kian from the school bus. An hour later a neighbor called 911 to report that Myers' house was on fire, People reported. Photos of the home taken by police show that the fire completely destroyed it.
KDKA reported that bodies of the children were found inside the home.
During the press conference, Sloan said Myers didn’t have a history of abusing her children.
But text messages between Myers and Bumgarner leading up to the incident, however, revealed her deteriorating mental health, according to WVNS.
On the day she shot their kids, she sent a message to Bumgarner, who was father to four of the slain children, that read: “I left something for you on the driver’s side floorboard. I am so sorry. I am not strong enough, Brian.”
Because Myers left several letters confessing to the crime, police have determined that this “was an act of arson and it was done by Oreanna Myers” and have officially closed the case.
According to an obituary for Shaun, Riley, Aarikyle, and Haiken, the boys were known as “Team Shark.”
“Shaun was a second-grade student at Frankford Elementary,” the obituary noted. “He loved playing t-ball and climbing trees. He was interested in space and wanted to be an astronaut. Riley was in kindergarten at Frankford Elementary. He loved all sports, especially football. He was extremely interested in music and was learning to play the piano and the ukulele. Aarikyle loved painting, being a kid and was sneaky. He loved Ninja Turtles and superheroes. Haiken being the youngest was spoiled by all and loved driving his toy cars.”
At the press conference, the sheriff highlighted the importance of mental health and pointed out that no one should be afraid to reach out if they need help.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with your mental health, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. They are available 24/7 toll free at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
