Naomi Briner: Indiana correctional facility administrator and her children found dead with gunshot wounds

JEFFERSON COUNTY, INDIANA: A tragic incident took place in rural southeastern Indiana on Tuesday, December 5, where a mother and her three children were found dead with gunshot wounds at their house which was set ablaze.

The authorities are investigating the mysterious deaths pending autopsy as, according to the reports, the mother worked at a correctional facility as an administrator. 

Police identified Indiana house fire victims as Naomi Briner and her three children aged six to 12

The victims were identified as Naomi Briner, 35, and her children Adelia Briner, 12, Leland Briner, eight, and Iyla Briner, six, by Sgt Stephen Wheeles of the Indiana State Police.

They were found by firefighters inside the house, located in the 1600 block of East Telegraph Hill Road just outside Madison, at around 4 pm on Tuesday, December 12. Madison is about 50 miles northeast of Louisville.

Despite life-saving measures, all four individuals were pronounced deceased at the scene. Wheeles said in a statement on social media that the investigation revealed that all four of the deceased had injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.

They were all located inside the home. He added that there is no threat to the public and the investigation remains ongoing.

He added in the statement, "Autopsies are scheduled to be performed in Hamilton County, Ohio to determine the cause and manner of death."

Neighbors and friends mourn the loss of Naomi Briner and her three children

On Wednesday, December 13, state officials combed through what remained of the charred house while neighbors and friends expressed their shock and grief over the loss of the family.

Carol Woodfill, who lives two doors down from the Briners, told WLKY that Naomi Briner was a loving mother to her three children. “What a tragedy,” Woodfill said, “These children are gone now. With no future, no life, but I believe they are in heaven with God.”

Another neighbor, Dean, recalled seeing the children playing on a wooden playset near his property line. “I pretty much knew it was kids and that’s when I was remembering them coming out and playing, playing on this little playset here,” he said.

Sue Sams-Tinker, a friend of Naomi Briner, posted a tribute on Facebook, saying that she was saddened by her death. “I’m saddened your life had to end this year,” she wrote, adding “I don’t know why your life was cut short, but I know how much you love those children.

"I know you will definitely be missed by your family and your friends they will have so many memories to remember you as the sweet, friendly loving person that you were," she continued.

Naomi Briner was a health services administrator at a correctional facility

Naomi Briner worked as the health services administrator for the Madison Correctional Facility, according to her Facebook profile. She graduated from Madison High School in 2006 and had a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Indiana University Southeast.

Wheeles told WDRB that this case had been a tough one for the investigators, who had to put their feelings aside and focus on finding the truth. “We have to kind of put those feelings aside and, you know really focus on our task right now to investigate this thoroughly, make sure we go down every avenue we can to determine exactly what happened and hopefully, at some point, be able to provide some closure to that family,” he said.

He also said that the investigators owed it to the family to do a thorough investigation and provide them with some answers as to what happened that took the lives of their loved ones. “At the end of the day, we do have a family that lost loved ones and we owe it to them to do a thorough investigation and provide them with some answers as to exactly what happened that took the lives of their loved ones,” he said.