ROGERS COUNTY, Okla. — The father of a little boy killed in Verdigris last weekis looking to state lawmakers for help. He doesn’t want what happened to his son to happen to any other family.
“He was the sweetest little baby,” said Billy Jacobson. “Nothing but goodness his whole life.”
Billy Jacobson says his 9-month-old son, Billy, was perfect. He says he was a precious boy whose life was cut short.
“He made life much more full,” said Jacobson. “It’s going to take a long time to try to figure out how to adjust our lives to living without that.”
“There are many ways this could’ve been avoided,” said Jacobson.
Jacobson says a former representative went to the state capitol on Monday to talk with lawmakers on his behalf. He wants to see changes so this doesn’t happen again.
“There’s major flaws in our system across the board,” said Jacobson.
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Jacobson says McCaslin attempted suicide earlier this year but still was allowed access to her children. He also says when she had supervised visits with the kids, her friend was the one overseeing them.
“What does that serve having somebody that was your best friend sitting there doing the supervision,” said Jacobson. “There’s no checks and balances."
He wants to see a set amount of time before people with previous suicide attempts can get access to their children. He also wants to see a law that would restrict firearm access for people with mental health issues.
“That’s the only way I can live with myself is to make change with this and to make sure someone else’s kids doesn’t have this happen to them because no parent deserves this,” said Jacobson.
We reached out to DHS with his concerns. The agency said they couldn’t answer specific questions but released a statement.
Our investigation into this tragedy is just beginning, but we know precious lives have been lost in this small community. We will continue to work with law enforcement to understand the facts and circumstances of this heartbreaking situation.
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