In the small, close-knit community of Platte, South Dakota, 14-year-old Connor Egan Westerhuis, a White male, was known for his polite and considerate nature. An eighth-grade student at Platte-Geddes Community School, he was the quarterback for the junior high football team and also excelled in basketball, baseball, and track. Connor, born on March 17, 2001, to Scott and Nicole Westerhuis, was an active member of the First Reformed Church and was remembered for his wonderful sense of humor.
The night of September 17, 2015, shattered the peace of this rural town. In the early morning hours, a passerby reported a fire at the Westerhuis family home. By the time firefighters arrived, the house was nearly destroyed. Initially, it was believed the family of six had perished in the blaze. However, the subsequent investigation revealed a far more sinister and tragic story.
Preliminary autopsy results showed that Connor, his mother Nicole, and his three siblings, Michael, 16, Jaeci, 10, and Kailey, 9, had all died from shotgun wounds. The investigation, led by the South Dakota Attorney General's Office, concluded that Scott Westerhuis had fatally shot his wife and their four children before setting their house on fire and then turning the gun on himself. Forensic evidence confirmed that Scott Westerhuis was responsible for the deaths.
The motive for the horrific act appeared to be linked to financial troubles. Scott Westerhuis worked as the business manager for Mid-Central Educational Cooperative. A day before the fire, the state had informed the cooperative that it would not be renewing a $4.3 million contract. Investigators later discovered that Scott and Nicole Westerhuis had been stealing from the GEAR UP college-readiness grant program.
The community of Platte was left to grapple with the shocking loss of an entire family. A funeral service for Connor and his siblings was held on September 26, 2015, at the Platte-Geddes Elementary School Gymnasium, a place where Connor had spent many hours playing basketball with his friends. The tragedy left an indelible mark on the small town, a painful reminder of the devastating events of that September night. No arrests were made as the sole suspect, Scott Westerhuis, was deceased.
