New twist after mum kills five kids in murder-suicide

A mum who shot her five kids before burning their house down and taking her own life was reportedly into witchcraft.

Oreanna Antoinette Myers, 25, shot her three children and two stepchildren at their home near Williamsburg, in the US state of West Virginia, in December last year.

Shaun Dawson Bumgarner, 7, and Riley James Bumgarner, 6, were stepchildren from her previous marriage, while Kian Myers, 4, Aarikyle Nova Myers, 3, and Haiken Jirachi Myers, 1, were her biological kids.

The children, aged between one and seven-years-old, were found inside the home while the mum was discovered outside the home after it was burned to the ground.

Raven Bumgarner, the mum of Shaun and Riley, told The Sun Ms Myers was into witchcraft and would practise rituals.

She also claims the mum kept dead butterflies in jars and had tarot cards.

"She was always talking about the phases of the moon and these rituals and tarot cards and different books and witchy things,” she told The Sun.

"She was like, 'Oh this moon is in this phase, this is a ritual for new beginnings, I'm going to go and run naked in the fields’."

An Instagram account purportedly belonging to Ms Myers shows images of dead butterflies in jars, memes and tarot cards.

“Magic. Love. The Unknown,” a photo of a candle is captioned.

Greenbrier County Sheriff Bruce Sloan said the mum left three notes behind.

“I hope one day someone will help others like me,” Ms Myers wrote, according to Sheriff Sloan.

“Mental health is not to joke about or taken lightly. When someone begs, pleads, cries out for help, please help them. You just might save a life or more lives. Thank you, OAM.”

with The Associated Press

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

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