Muskogee Kids 'Play Possum' During Home Burglary

Burglars kicked in a door at a Muskogee home where two children were alone inside since school was canceled for snow. Police said quick thinking and the use of Facebook helped them make it through the break-in without being detected.

It was around 10:30 a.m. when there was a knock at the door. A 13-year-old boy said he went to see who it was, but the men had their backs to the door, so he didn't answer. Minutes later, they kicked it in.

As soon as they heard the men coming inside the house, the boy and his 9-year-old sister got under the covers and pretended to be asleep. They couldn't get to a phone, but they were able to access Facebook through a tablet and their friend Thomas, who lives next door.

"I didn't think it was going on at the moment; I thought it was over and done with," Thomas said.

Thomas wasn't home, so his mother Nicole went to the house to see if the burglars were still there. The families have been neighbors for seven years, and she knows the kids well. After she made sure the children were all right, she called police and their mother.

"They were just scared to death," Nicole said.

Police said the men ransacked the home and stole an Xbox, a TV and some coins, but never touched the kids.

"In this situation, the kids did the right thing," Muskogee Police Cpl. Mike Mahan said. "They weren't able to get to a phone, it happened suddenly, and they used the only communication they had at the time, which was Facebook."

Police are looking for the burglars and said kids should know it's OK to call police if someone is knocking or acting strangely around the house.

Everyone is relieved the kids were able to fool the burglars by "playing possum."

"I'm just glad they weren't held at gunpoint; it could've been a whole lot worse," Nicole said.

Police say most burglars want to break into an empty house so they knock, and if no one answers, they kick in the door. Police say the best thing to do is to be loud so they know the house is occupied. If they do come inside, police say the best plan is to get outside.