Twenty-eight-year-old Bridgette Barr and her children, 5-year-old Sydney Barr and 2-year-old Garrett Barr, were discovered dead Dec. 26 in a Fort Smith, Ark., apartment. The children, who were reportedly from Muldrow, were visiting their mother for Christmas when they were believed to have been murdered Dec. 22.
Bridgette Barr's boyfriend, James Aaron Miller, has since been charged in the murders. Miller was in the Fort Smith apartment when police discovered the three bodies.
The Fort Smith Police Department reported in a news release that they received the preliminary report from the medical examiner's office Monday, which stated the cause of death for each victim.
The medical examiner determined that Bridgette Barr died from strangulation, while Sydney Barr died from stab wounds to her neck. The medical examiner reported that Sydney Barr also suffered from asphyxia due to smothering. There were six stab wounds on the front of the 5-year-old's neck, one of which struck her carotid artery. All the stab wounds were sustained while she was alive, according to police. The medical examiner reportedly found evidence of smothering, as opposed to strangulation.
Two-year-old Garrett Barr died from asphyxia or suffocation. He also suffered postmortem injuries, or injuries incurred after death, including charring and drying, but no indication of scalding.
"The reports from the Medical Examiner's Office confirm the suspicions of investigators on the scene," Fort Smith Police Sgt. Jarrard Copeland reported in a news release. "The body of 2-year-old Garrett Barr was charred and dry. It is believed that the suspect, James Aaron Miller, smothered him to death before placing his body in the heated kitchen oven. Injuries on the body are consistent with those which would be caused by the heating element in the oven, burning the flesh and bone of a human body.
"The oven was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for inspection and evidence collection."
Miller, 30, remains in the Sebastian County Jail in Fort Smith on suspicion of three counts of capital murder with no bond.
A defense attorney reportedly filed a not guilty plea last week in Sebastian County Circuit Court in Fort Smith on behalf of Miller.
Fort Smith police received a call at 12:38 a.m. Dec. 26 from a man on vacation in Colorado requesting police check on the welfare of his 30-year-old son, Miller. Miller's father said that he had received a text message from his son, and he was worried that he may try to harm himself.
Miller's father also said that he did not know if his son's girlfriend, 28-year-old Bridgette Barr, was there or not, but that the couple lived in the apartment together.
Copeland said officers responded to the scene and were met by Miller at the door when Miller allegedly told police that he was "ready to go." The officers escorted him to the ambulance and then returned to the apartment to conduct a protective sweep.
The bodies of Bridgette Barr and Sydney Barr were located in the floor of a rear bedroom of the apartment, covered by a blanket. At that time, Miller was read the Miranda Warning, arrested and transported to the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center.
Upon further investigation of the crime scene, the body of 2-year-old Garrett Barr was located in the bathtub of a bathroom adjoining the same bedroom where the other two bodies were located earlier. It appeared as though the victims had been deceased for four to six days.
The police investigation revealed that Miller and Bridgette Barr had been dating for about two years. The children's father, Ray Barr, reportedly had custody of both children and he and his children were living in Muldrow.
