Tulsa Police: Mother, Teen Died In Double Suicide

TPD Sgt. Dave Walker said it appears the mother shot herself and then her 17-year-old son shot himself.

Wednesday, July 23rd 2014, 1:18 pm



Tulsa Police said they may never know why a mother and son both took their own lives Tuesday, but that's what appears to have happened in a house near 21st and Delaware.

Late Tuesday afternoon police were sent to the house to check on the people inside. They ended up having to break in, searched what appeared to be an empty house, then found two bodies in a closet, both apparent victims of suicide.

Dead are Kimberly Crabtree, 50, and her son Joseph Crabtree, 17, who just finished 11th grade at Edison High School.

Detectives said it was in their house that the two committed suicide Tuesday afternoon.

7/23/2014 Related Story: Tulsa Police Identify Mother And Son Found Dead In Midtown Home

"The bottom line is that the mother and son are both dead and that's what they set out to do, and that's what they did," said TPD Sergeant Dave Walker.

Police said Kim Crabtree had a history of mental health and drug abuse issues, and had attempted suicide before. They're less clear on the history of the younger Crabtree, but believe he had troubles of his own.

Tulsa detectives found the bodies together in a closet, in what they described as a staged setting, with no signs of a struggle. They believe the mother shot herself first.

The gun had been recently purchased, but they haven't finished tracing its origin.

They said it appeared some of the problems can be traced to the death of the father in the family, in Connecticut six years ago.

“What we're pretty sure of is that the mother and son were in agreement they were going to die yesterday, and they were going to use a gun to do it, and that's what occurred,” Walker said.

Walker said the pair left a note indicating they were planning something in the bedroom closet where they were found, because it would be quiet and no one would hear the gunshots.

Walker said, "There was a note, not saying this is what we're going to do, but there was a note relevant to what they did. It was more like a checklist of what was going to occur and that's what we found."

Police said the shooting happened at about 4 p.m. on Monday in the 2000 block of South Delaware Place. When Kimberly's sister could not get into the home, she called police. Police officers and firefighters were able to force entry and found the bodies.

The state medical examiner will rule on official cause of death.

Of course there is help available for families in crisis situations where suicide might be an issue.

One good resource in Tulsa is Community Outreach Psychiatric Services. Their crisis line is 918-744-4800.

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