PA - Conner, 8, & Brinley Snyder, 4, found hung, later died, Kempton, 23 Sept 2019 *Arrest*

[pepper 34]

They’re were revived by EMS and lived on life support for a few days. So I think if she had immediately tried to get at least one down the daughter may have made it. She must have called 911 right after they started hanging. Which also makes me suspicious. Because in my mind she had to have been there when it happened. Not on a walk.

I thought she made a big show of the children's donated organs fairly quickly on SM, although I guess she pulled the post down fairly quickly (perhaps not getting the reaction she wanted... sympathy and praise online from strangers on a Facebook page.) I'll go ahead and say something I only feel rather than that I could ever understand but, if she did kill her children with full intent to do so; somehow, I think the organ donations were on her mind and one of her motivations for killing them. Could it all have just been done for attention and endless, loving, supporting and sympathetic comments from strangers on SM? Going viral on SM and bringing in a huge load of cash, all at the same time? If that were the plan, she would have to leave them hanging there... or call off the whole plan. Still waiting for a giant shoe to drop any time now. I'm sure there's one out there hanging by a thread.

 

[katydid23]

I wish we knew more about her. Wouldn't she-- if guilty of this--- have to be morbidly cruel to kill her children like that? No smothering or poisoning with sleeping pills---but hanging them from the gallows? Side by side. It is ghastly and so hard to accept.

But as you say, it could bring tremendous sympathy, if people believed her son did it himself.

 

[pepper 34]

I wish we knew more about her. Wouldn't she-- if guilty of this--- have to be morbidly cruel to kill her children like that? No smothering or poisoning with sleeping pills---but hanging them from the gallows? Side by side. It is ghastly and so hard to accept.

But as you say, it could bring tremendous sympathy, if people believed her son did it himself.

Most poisons are detectable (and hanging, I believe would be more merciful than a death by poisoning) Sleeping pills would be easier but maybe she knows a lethal dose would cause vomiting and possible survival. I think smothering (of two children) would raise two red flags because delicate mucus membranes often show the results of the pressure that takes to achieve that method of murder. I think that's why LE wanted all electronic devices so quickly in order to perhaps discover some sort of pre-planning through internet searches. I agree, if she killed them by design, hanging was certainly an unusual way to go. I wonder if poor Conner ever did tell CPS he might want to die and she tucked that information away and used it. But, as you say, not knowing anything about her makes it almost impossible for me to confidently guess at what happened.
All I do know is that she began by using SM to announce what was going on in her life and then, it seems when she was vilified instead of receiving comfort, she shut the whole thing down. I've never understood parents who lose children and their first thoughts seem to be to run to their SM accounts. Everyone is different but it's the last method of "self comfort" I would use. I'm sure, if I had found 2 of my children hanging by their necks in the basement (and with all the gory details that actually mean... discoloration, facial expressions, etc... ) I would need to be taken to a hospital myself for sedation and evaluation; no doubt in my mind.
(And, going back a bit, I would have immediately pulled down a wild animal hanging from a noose and tried to help; never mind my own children.) That I'll never understand unless she wanted them dead. JMO.
ETA: ... and, if in any way at all, she was responsible for those children being on chairs and with nooses around their necks... surely, if they survived, they would have been questioned and, imo, they would tell what happened and point the finger right at her. Because, had they survived and with the CPS history, no doubt she would not have taken them home for quite awhile. They would be away from her and in a safe place, without any threats being made to keep them quiet. JMO

 

[gitana1]

I wish we knew more about her. Wouldn't she-- if guilty of this--- have to be morbidly cruel to kill her children like that? No smothering or poisoning with sleeping pills---but hanging them from the gallows? Side by side. It is ghastly and so hard to accept.

But as you say, it could bring tremendous sympathy, if people believed her son did it himself.

I mean it is pretty horrible. Not the kind of killings usually done by parents. At least not without evidence of systemic and horrific torture leading up to it for weeks or months.

 

[CSIDreamer]

In looking at pictures, 8 or no, Conner was a good sized kid. He could have put up a fight.

 

[TTF14]

I keep coming back to this thread hoping for an arrest, information, something.

I believe in my heart there will be soon.

 

[kittythehare]

I have no idea what went on in this house at all.
But considering the suicide possibility too and wondering what could have precipitated it?

 

[kittythehare]

I mean it is pretty horrible. Not the kind of killings usually done by parents. At least not without evidence of systemic and horrific torture leading up to it for weeks or months.

That's the biggie Gitani.

 

[gitana1]

I decided to research based on @katydid23 ’s comments.

It looks like hanging kids as a form of murder by their parents has occurred. And one child care provider. But mostly in other countries (only one case involving a parent here) and none tried to hide what they did:

Dad ‘hanged 4 kids while in school uniforms after wife kicked him out'

Dad hangs himself and his baby on Facebook Live after accusing his girlfriend of cheating


Mother Hangs 4 Daughters and Herself, Police Say

Father hangs son and himself in the shower

Day care owner who tried to hang toddler from noose gets probation

But I think the issue is whether someone wanted to kill their kids but pretend their child killed themself and their sibling, how would they do it?

If they poisoned the child would that readily scream “suicide” to the police? Would a gun shot do so without a note? What form of death seems like an apparent suicide?

That might be the answer why a parent would do something like this. An imbalanced parent. One who resented her kids maybe. One who wanted attention for herself.

 

[kittythehare]

I decided to research based on @katydid23 ’s comments.

It looks like hanging kids as a form of murder by their parents has occurred. And one child care provider. But mostly in other countries (only one case involving a parent here) and none tried to hide what they did:

Dad ‘hanged 4 kids while in school uniforms after wife kicked him out'

Dad hangs himself and his baby on Facebook Live after accusing his girlfriend of cheating


Mother Hangs 4 Daughters and Herself, Police Say

Father hangs son and himself in the shower

Day care owner who tried to hang toddler from noose gets probation

But I think the issue is whether someone wanted to kill their kids but pretend their child killed themself and their sibling, how would they do it?

If they poisoned the child would that readily scream “suicide” to the police? Would a gun shot do so without a note? What form of death seems like an apparent suicide?

That might be the answer why a parent would do something like this. An imbalanced parent. One who resented her kids maybe. One who wanted attention for herself.

I think sleeping pills would be a more loving way to do it...
Like there's violent and non violent..
In this case violent death was chosen... cut off the very air that they breathe as if it's one's right.

A painful terrifying and prolonged death was chosen.
Did she choose it voluntarily or did she feel compulsion to do it either through a delusional state she had entered voluntarily or involuntarily?
Was the killer in control at the time of the killing?

 

[gitana1]

In looking at pictures, 8 or no, Conner was a good sized kid. He could have put up a fight.

Kids are easy to control. Especially abused, scared ones.

 

[gitana1]

I think sleeping pills would be a more loving way to do it...
Like there's violent and non violent..
In this case violent death was chosen... cut off the very air that they breathe as if it's one's right.

A painful terrifying and prolonged death was chosen.
Did she choose it voluntarily or did she feel compulsion to do it either through a delusional state she had entered voluntarily or involuntarily?
Was the killer in control at the time of the killing?

She may not have known it would be long.

 

[MsGazette]

Regarding cutting the kids down. It might have been a plastic coated wire lead, but there were swivel hooks at each end so it's not like mom would have to find something to cut it and have trouble cutting through it. All that would have been needed would be to lift each child up - maybe by putting one of the chairs under them to help - and opening the clasp.

I'm angry. Very very angry.

No any mother in her right mind would have grabbed her children to try to help them. I would be struggling which one to tend to first. IMO. THIS IS UNREAL.

 

[gitana1]

I think sleeping pills would be a more loving way to do it...
Like there's violent and non violent..
In this case violent death was chosen... cut off the very air that they breathe as if it's one's right.

A painful terrifying and prolonged death was chosen.
Did she choose it voluntarily or did she feel compulsion to do it either through a delusional state she had entered voluntarily or involuntarily?
Was the killer in control at the time of the killing?

Yes but do sleeping pills given to a couple kids scream suicide or murder? I mean it could come down to the mind of the person who did this. That they wanted to be separate from the deaths. Make sure no one could blame them. Sleeping pills take a long time. And aren’t certain. And maybe someone could say the kids didn’t give themselves sleeping pills. But hanging? We don’t hear of parents killing their kids that way. And maybe whoever did this knew that. And thus that form of death was chosen.

 

[gitana1]

No any mother in her right mind would have grabbed her children to try to help them. I would be struggling which one to tend to first. IMO. THIS IS UNREAL.

Yeah that’s what I can’t get past.

Someone talked on another thread about seeing their child almost drown or something and they suddenly and inexplicably froze and couldn’t react and someone else saved the child. But I truly believe if you’re the only one there and you see your kid like that instinct is going to take over.

I really want to hear that 911 call.

 

[MsGazette]

This is exactly what I imagine it to be. I have one for my dog. Never thought to hang two people to death with it, but it would work quite well and would be "easy" because no knots would be required.

ETA: Oh wait, no it's not exactly what I imagined. Hold on and I will find a pic of what I have.

It’s very similar to how a few dogs in my neck of the woods perished at the groomers. You simply hook the clasp onto the leash to form a slipknot collar. Sad to even post this.

 

[kittythehare]

Yes but do sleeping pills given to a couple kids scream suicide or murder? I mean it could come down to the mind of the person who did this. That they wanted to be separate from the deaths. Make sure no one could blame them. Sleeping pills take a long time. And aren’t certain. And maybe someone could say the kids didn’t give themselves sleeping pills. But hanging? We don’t hear of parents killing their kids that way. And maybe whoever did this knew that. And thus that form of death was chosen.

if the kids were suicidal.. then they could have come up with the idea of swallowing mum's pills easier than they could have researched a successful hanging.. She was plenty net savvy, she could have figured the dose that would kill them fastest..
Other possibilities are psychoses, all flavors, could have been ritualistic... it's really difficult to hazard a guess. She could have gotten completely drunk or stoned prior to doing it which she could offer as explanation for her inacttion when it mattered.. truth is that we have no insight at all into her actual personality. She is blank, not even animated when I search for her... zilch. I only ever experienced that around methadone users.... I could not reach them no matter what I tried..

 

[kittythehare]

No any mother in her right mind would have grabbed her children to try to help them. I would be struggling which one to tend to first. IMO. THIS IS UNREAL.

She could have been drunk stoned or trancing... deadened to it, all senses dulled...

 

[Seattle1]

She could have been drunk stoned or trancing... deadened to it, all senses dulled...

Curious what responding officers said about her -- her condition when they arrived. We know she told the dispatcher Conner talked about suicide, but not much more about her.

 

[Seattle1]

In looking at pictures, 8 or no, Conner was a good sized kid. He could have put up a fight.

I thought the same. Even looking at the photos included in his obit, he's always been a big kid.