TULSA, Okla. — Two fathers who lost their children to a murder-suicide in Verdigris are now one step closer to ensuring what happened to them never happens to another family.
In July 2023,three children were shot and killed before their mother turned the gun on herself.
Watch our initial coverage here:
Now, a bill to change supervised visitation of Oklahoma children heads to the House floor after passing the Senate on March 5.
The two fathers behind the bill, Billy Jacobson and Ryan McGee, were in attendance and given recognition from the Senate for their efforts to protect Oklahoma children.
"God is just laying the stones out for us,” Jacobson said. “It has been amazing. I never expected this to get the reception we have. It's been since July, and we've had an overwhelming response from the politicians to get this brought in in less than a year."
- Previous coverage >>> Memorial created to remember children killed in triple murder-suicide
Jacobson lost his son Billy, a 9-month-old, while McGee lost his daughter, 11-year-old Noe.
“Nothing will bring our children back, but I believe that I see their purpose now, which was hard to see at first,” Jacobson said. “And I believe they are going to save thousands of lives by the time it is done."
Hear from Jacobson after the bill was introduced:
That July day, three children died at the hands of their mother. Jacobson’s son, Billy, McGee’s daughter, Noe, and 6-year-old Bryce.
The mother, Brandy McCaslin, had supervised custody of the children, but Jacobson said there were shortfalls.
He said McCaslin previously attempted suicide yet was still allowed access to her kids with supervised visits. He said the supervisor was McCaslin's best friend.
“We were very blessed with the supervisor that we did have,” Jacobson said. “I don't believe it should have been somebody that was a friend. That is something we are going to try and change."
Senate Bill 1756, known as the "Oklahoma Supervised Visitation Program,” will require the court-ordered contact between the non-custodial parent and their children to be trained to oversee the visit.
It also states a judge may appoint a supervised visitation team to provide location sites for a visit, develop application forms for volunteers to apply to the program, and develop a protocol for handling such visits to ensure the safety of the child and others.
"If you have a violent or suicide attempt, anything like that involving children, and you lose custody, from this point forward, you won’t be able to get it back until you have a full makeup done by mental health,” Jacobson said. “You won’t have visitation unless it is in a professional environment.”
He said he believes if this were in place back in July, the children would still be alive.
McGee urges others to speak up if something doesn't seem right.
“If you see signs of any kind of sign, just report it,” he said. “Our supervisor wasn't qualified to see signs, and we didn't have proper channels for her to discuss these things with. Just be very observant."
The bill will now head to the House floor. If it passes there, the next step is the governor’s desk.
To read the bill’s entirety, click here.
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