Bernadine Pruessner: Police rule death of Missouri woman found dead alongside children as murder-suicide

FERGUSON, MISSOURI:  The house fire in which a Missouri teacher and her four young children who were found dead was allegedly started by the woman herself, according to police.

Bernadine Pruessner, 38, also left a note stating her intentions to end her life and those of her children, before setting a mattress on fire in her Ferguson home on Monday, February, 19.

Bernadine Pruessner posted on Facebook that all her children were sleeping peacefully shortly before the house was set on fire 

The tragic incident occurred hours after Pruessner posted on Facebook that her children were peacefully sleeping in her bed.

"All my kids, peacefully sleeping in my bed. Curled up together. Knowing they are loved so fiercely that I’d do absolutely anything for them. This is my favorite moment," she wrote in her last Facebook post. 

The fire was initially deemed “suspicious” by the Ferguson Police Department as they found “evidence of criminal activity at the scene.”

St Louis County Police Department spokesperson Sergeant Tracy Panus told Daily Mail that the preliminary investigation revealed it to be a murder-suicide.

“It is believed that Bernadine intentionally set a mattress on fire as that was the point of origin for the fire,” Panus said.

“A note was also left stating Bernadine’s intentions to take her life and the lives of her children," he said as per the outlet. 

Bernadine Pruessner's neighbors and firefighters were unable to save the family after the house caught fire 

A neighbor, Jerry McClure, saw flames erupting from the house and tried to kick the front door, but the fire was too intense.

“The smoke was so bad. I tried to kick the front door,” he said, adding “We just couldn’t wake them up,” St Louis Post Dispatch reported. Thick, black smoke was visible for miles, reports said.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 4.30, but they could not rescue the family. The department wrote, "The first responders met with a situation that no training manual could ever prepare them for", Chief Troy Doyle Ferguson Police Department Chief wrote. 

The victims were identified as Pruessner and her four children: nine-year-old twins Ellie and Ivy, five-year-old Jackson, and two-year-old Millie.

Three dogs also died in the fire, however, 14 rabbits, three chickens and two cats survived the fire as they were located on a separate part of the property.

The police chief while reflecting on the tragic incident said, "This moment of sorrow calls us to band together like never before."

"It’s a time to lean on one another, to listen with open hearts, and to offer a shoulder or an ear to those in need. We’re reminded that the strength of our community lies in our unity and our willingness to support each other through the darkest times," they added.

Bernadine Pruessner was a teacher who received awards and certifications

Pruessner was a teacher who worked in both Missouri and Illinois. She received the Missouri Teacher of the Year Award from the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence in 2013.

In 2022, she joined Lewis and Clark Community College as a full-time faculty member after serving as an adjunct instructor.

She held teaching certifications in agriculture, elementary education, English language arts, early childhood education and family and consumer science.

Twins Ellie and Ivy were fourth-graders at Mason Ridge Elementary School. The Parkway School District notified parents of the “sad news” in a letter.

The district announced that a crisis intervention team would meet with each fourth-grade class “in order for students to begin processing their feelings.”

The children were 'incredible brothers',  their fathers write in a joint statement 

The fathers of the children, Jared Spader and David Pruessner, released a joint statement, expressing their grief and gratitude.

“What I would want everyone to know about my two wonderful children is they are the greatest gift that a father could ever ask for,” it read.

“Jackson was the most incredible older brother, kind, intuitive and gentle. He loved his sisters, being outside, sports, art and he was always so in tune with the needs of others. Millie was a funny, charismatic, sweet, and kind little sister who brightened every moment of every day for all of us,” the statement added.

The statement continued, "They were the two most beautiful souls that a father could ask for, and they were a gift to our lives in every way. As Dads right now we have to focus on honoring the four beautiful lives and we plan to do that together."

The heartbroken fathers thanked the community for its support, citing the generosity of both strangers and loved ones. "We will continue to need it," they wrote.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).