Homeschooling’s 

Invisible Children

Jesse and Deonna Briggs

Content note: Case narratives include descriptions of severe violence inflicted on children, including abuse and neglect, sexual violence, torture, and murder, as well as mentions of suicide and domestic violence. They also include photos of victims and perpetrators of violence.

briggs family
Jesse Briggs, age 10, and his sister Deonna, age 7, were murdered by their parents, Thomas and Dawn Briggs, while on vacation in Oregon. The children were poisoned, then their bodies were returned to the family’s Washington home, where Dawn also died of poisoning and Thomas shot himself to death.

The Briggses belonged to the Church of God, a now-defunct millennialist religious cult, and Thomas Briggs suffered from paranoia, depression, and anxiety. The Briggses homeschooled their children.

Date: November 19, 1999
Location: Rochester, Washington; Newport, Oregon

Family of four slain; murder-suicide suspected 11-23-1999
Writings Studied In Murder-Suicide — Bible References To Family Deaths 11-24-1999
Death of a family 01-21-2000
Couple tried to sell belongings 02-26-2000
TROUBLING INCIDENTS IN HOME-SCHOOL SETTINGS 11-17-2004