By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-26 18:56:04 | Updated at 2026-09-12 17:27:13
2 weeks ago
A photo album and a slain mother’s Bible both remarkably survived after multiple fires were set in a house where a twisted family member killed eight of his relatives.
“If that doesn’t make you think something higher is involved,” Interim Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O’Donnell said as he addressed the media following Sunday’s tragic events at a house just outside Billings, Montana.
Sheriff O’Donnell described how one of his deputies was sifting through the ashes of the destroyed house when he came across the “largely intact” family photo album and Bible belonging to homeowner Barbara Smith.
Smith, 72, and her 73-year-old husband, Dana, were having dinner at the house with their blended family when, deputies believe, their son, Alan Smith, 44, who had recently been kicked out, came to the property and started shooting, Sheriff O’Donnell said.
Follow the latest news on the tragic massacre of a family in Montana:
- Montana gunman who massacred 8 family members ID’d as possible motive revealed: ‘Many red flags’
- Mom of two children who were among 8 family members killed in Montana house massacre speaks out about ‘honoring’ slain kids
- 12-year-old girl killed in Montana massacre was ‘hero’ who called 911 to try to save family
- ‘Unbelievable’ belongings recovered after gunman kills his 8 family members before setting Montana home on fire
The killer is believed to have arrived at the house around 5:50 p.m. local time, and neighbors reported hearing a sound “like fireworks” 10 minutes later.
At 6:01 p.m., a female inside the house called 911, telling the dispatcher that people were hurt, as gunshots could be heard in the background, said Sheriff O’Donnell.
