Oklahoma Triple Murder-Suicide: Father Stabs Minor Girls, Wife To Death Before Killing Self

In a gruesome incident, a man in Oklahoma murdered his wife and two minor girls over the weekend. He then stabbed himself to death.

Police found the bodies of Anastacia (Stacy) Smith, 41, her 4-year-old daughter River Gale Ross and 2-year-old daughter Piper Ann Ross when they arrived at the home. The father – 31-year old Phillip Ross – stabbed the victims to death before killing himself, police said.

Sand Springs Police Chief Mike Carter said this was the worst thing he had seen in his 28 years of service.

"The community is hurting right now because this tragedy not only affects the people that were there, but their loved ones, their friends, their churches. One of the things that makes Sand Springs great is we come together in times like this," Carter told CBS-affiliated Newson6.

Capt. Todd Enzbrenner on Monday told local media Monday, "All four individuals received sharp force injuries, which is consistent with the evidence at the crime scene. We suspect that Phillip Ross committed three homicides and then took his own life but the outcome of this case will not be determined until the Medical examiner completes their investigation."

The children's grandmother found them dead when she arrived at their home to babysit the little girls. Authorities found knives inside the house with blood on them. Witnesses told police that they heard screaming, yelling and loud banging coming from the house.

"Whenever children are involved it is tough. It's worse when a parent or a loved one commits those crimes. It's even worse in the manner at which this was done," said Enzbrenner.

Last month in Missouri, a woman and her 3-year-old daughter were found dead inside a parked vehicle. Police said at the time that they were investigating the case to find why the mother killed her child before shooting herself.

Bridgeton police Maj. Mark Mossotti identified the victims as Kanisha Richardson and Ava Richardson.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.