Ohio man tells 911 he killed wife and three kids, then killed himself

A man spoke to a 911 dispatcher and told them he killed his wife and three children early Saturday before killing himself.

Alan Atwater, 31, of Oak Harbor called a emergency services shortly after midnight Saturday. "There has been a terrible accident at my house," Atwater said during the call. "My wife and three children are dead."

According to USA Today, and deputies arrived within minutes of the call at Atwater's white-sided, two-story farmhouse in Oak Harbor, about 25 miles southeast of Toledo. Authorities tried to contact people inside the home by phone and loudspeaker and did not enter the home until two hours later when communication attempts failed.

Authorities said they the family in an upstairs bedroom: Alan, 31; his wife, Dawn, 30; and their children, Ashley, Isaac, and Brady (ages 4, 2, and 1 respectively). The parents and two children were on the floor, while the youngest was in a bed. All had gunshot wounds.

When asked what happened, Atwater described to the dispatcher "gunshot wound" and said "I'm getting ready to kill myself right now," according to Reuters.

Atwater was then asked "did you kill them?" to which he said "yes." The dispatcher asked "what went on," and Atwater hung up, authorities said.

Atwater's grandmother, Joan, who lived next door, said he recently told a relative he was having marital problems.

"We'll never know what really brought this on," she said, clutching photos of her great-grandchildren.