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Mother, 3 young children found shot dead in Indiana house fire

Deaths of children ruled homicide

UPDATE: Indiana State Police provided an update after autopsies were performed by a forensic pathologist on all four of the victims. Based on the results of the autopsies and the evidence in this case, The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office ruled the manner of death of the three children to be a homicide. The autopsy reports showed that all three children sustained gunshot wounds, which contributed to their deaths. The coroner’s office listed the manner and cause of death of Naomi Briner to be from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

After the investigation ended, the case was presented to the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office for review. On March 15, Jefferson County Prosecutor David Sutter released his findings that the evidence indicates that Naomi Briner was responsible for the deaths of her three children and herself.

“This was a tragic case that has been heartbreaking for the community and all who have been involved in this investigation,” Sutter said. “My heart goes out to the involved families for the tragedy that they have endured.  I commend the Indiana State Police Detectives and the other agencies that have assisted in this case.  At this time, I am not requesting that investigators pursue any additional leads in this case.”      

MADISON, Ind. (WISH) — A mother and three young children were found dead during a fire in their rural southern Indiana home had gunshot wounds, Indiana State Police said Wednesday night.

Naomi Briner, 35, was believed to be the mother of Adelia Briner, 12; Leland Briner, 8, and Iyla Briner, 6, according to a news release from state police.

Emergency crews arrived shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday to find the fire at the house in the 1600 block of East Telegraph Hill Road in Jefferson County.

State police had said earlier Wednesday that autopsies would be performed in Hamilton County, Ohio, to determine the cause and manner of death.

The cause of the fire remained undetermined.

The house sits in an area with a mix of homes, forests and farmland about a 5-minute drive east of downtown Madison. The city of 12,200 residents on the Ohio River is about halfway between Louisville, Kentucky, and the Ohio city of Cincinnati. Jefferson County, Indiana, has a population of about 33,100 people.

WISHTV.com first reported on the house fire Wednesday morning.

News 8’s Jay Adkins contributed to this story.