By
Associated Press
The Oklahoma couple considered the "prime suspect" in the slayings of their six children last week were under severe financial strain and had filed for bankruptcy with $138,000 in debt, relatives say.
Eight people were found dead Thursday in a burning house in a Tulsa-area suburb in what authorities are investigating as a possible murder-suicide.
The Broken Arrow Police Department on Sunday identified the parents as Brian and Brittney Nelson, but did not release any new information on
whether the two adults were involved in the slayings of the boys
, who ranged in age from 1 to 13.
Brian Nelson's parents, Danny and Marilyn Nelson, told the local Tulsa World newspaper that their son had asked them to babysit their grandchildren at 5:00 pm Thursday, the day of the fire.
"5 o'clock came and then 6 o'clock. I texted them and there was no response," Danny Nelson said.
"I turned on the 6 o'clock news and heard there had been a fire near Hickory and Galveston in Broken Arrow.
That's where my son lives
."
Police have not released the names of the deceased children, but their paternal grandparents identified them as Brian II, 13;
Brantley, 9;
Vegeta, 7;
Ragnar, 5;
Kurgan, from 2;
and Britannica, from 1.
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The six children were found dead in a burning back bedroom and the two adults were found in the front of the house.
Authorities said the causes of death had not yet been established, but
they do not believe any of the home's occupants died from the fire.
Brian and Brittney Nelson filed for bankruptcy in 2020, declaring $8,803 in assets versus nearly $138,000 in debt.
Most of the debt was
unpaid student loans
, the newspaper reported.
Both indicated they were unemployed at the time, according to documents.
The bankruptcy filing also listed nine firearms as assets.
[Police Investigate Possible Multiple Homicide in Oklahoma]
Years ago, Brian Nelson had suffered a blow to the head while working as an usher in the refrigerators of a large chain store.
Since then, he suffered from severe headaches, according to his parents.
"I want people to know that at some point he was in his five senses," said Marilyn Nelson.
"I don't understand why they did what they did.
I don't understand why things ended the way they did.
I talk to God all the time and I don't understand it."