In the quiet hills near Deer Lodge, Montana, a remote cabin in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest became the scene of a heart-wrenching tragedy on June 7, 2015. On that day, four-year-old Woodrow "Woody" Bournes, a White male, lost his life alongside his family in a horrific murder-suicide. The tranquility of their off-the-grid home was shattered by the actions of his father, 59-year-old Michael Augustine Bournes.
The events of that Sunday morning unfolded after Michael Bournes
contacted an acquaintance, confessing that he had killed his family and intended to take his own life. He claimed his wife, 37-year-old Arie Arlynn Lee, had been mocking him throughout the day. This call prompted the acquaintance to alert the authorities. When police and fire crews finally located the secluded cabin, they found it engulfed in flames.
Inside the home, the grim discovery confirmed the tragic news. Investigators determined that Michael Bournes had first shot his wife and their one-year-old daughter, also named Arie. He then went outside and shot his two sons, five-year-old Augustine "Gus" and four-year-old Woodrow. After carrying the boys' bodies back inside, he placed them on a bed next to their mother and sister. After setting fire to a piece of furniture, Michael Bournes lay down beside his family and shot himself.
The small community of Deer Lodge, where the family was known to come into town for meals and supplies, was left in shock. Friends and acquaintances remembered Arie as a sociable woman who was involved in community theater, while Michael was described as having anti-government sentiments. The investigation concluded that Michael Augustine Bournes was the sole perpetrator of the killings, and with his death, the case was closed. No other suspects were sought, and no arrests were made in connection with the devastating loss of the entire Bournes family.
