Kathleen Mary Callahan, a 57-year-old woman, died on October 16, 2023, in Ocala, Florida. Her body was discovered along with that of her 26-year-old son, Birch Longfellow Crocker, inside their residence on Southwest 20th Lane.
The investigation by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) revealed that the incident was a murder-suicide. Crocker’s father, who resides in Connecticut, had contacted authorities to conduct a well-being check after Birch failed to call his grandmother on
her birthday. Upon arriving at the home, MCSO deputies found Kathleen Callahan deceased near a pool of blood and Birch Longfellow Crocker deceased with a firearm beside him.
Kathleen Mary Callahan was the daughter of William T. Callahan of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, and Mary Ellen (Woodard) Callahan. The incident was determined to be unrelated to other double death incidents that occurred in the same period in Marion County.
The MCSO has confirmed that the murder-suicide was an isolated incident and is not connected to the other double homicides or murder-suicides reported in the area during the same time frame.
