Home where family of four found dead demolished, questions still remain

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Family of four found dead after house explosion. (Source: WOIO)

NORTHFIELD CENTER TOWNSHIP, OH - Neighbors told Cleveland 19 that while they're happy that a house destroyed by a fire, where a family of four was found dead, was torn down Monday, they're disappointed they may never know what happened there that night.

The home on the 7400 block of Skyhaven Road in Northfield Center Township stood for more than two months as a grim reminder of the tragedy that happened January 11. The house caught fire and exploded, and the Mather family of four was found dead inside.

"It's gonna take some time but this is a start for it to have this reminder gone," said Northfield Center Township Trustee Paul Buescher.

Since the fire, on Jan. 11, 2016, the Summit County Medical Examiner has determined that 43-year-old Jeff Mather killed himself, and set the house on fire.

The couple's two daughters, 8-year-old Ruthie and 12-year-old Alyson were both murdered by being suffocated to death.

43-year-old Cindy Mather died from a Prozac overdose, and while she did have a prescription for the antidepressant, the ME couldn't determine if she committed suicide or if she was murdered. The ME also couldn't determine which parent was likely responsible for the murder of the two girls.

Those remaining questions are why one neighbor told Cleveland 19 that she's actually disappointed to see the home torn down. She said while she hopes the neighborhood will be better able to heal, she had hoped the house would yield answers to remaining questions. She said she thought there could have been evidence inside of it that may have shed light on what happened the night of January 11.

It took only 17 minutes for the home to come crashing down. It took several hours for the demolition equipment to dump the pieces of the house into a semi trailer and remove it.

The home and property is owned by Huntington Bank, and the bank paid for Monday's demolition.

The home was an involuntary memorial to the tragedy that happened here...a difficult one for this community.

A fire and explosion...with the bodies of the four members of the Mather family inside

"We're happy that this grim reminder of this great tragedy is finally going to come to an end," said trustee Paul Buescher. "Now [the neighborhood] can start healing a lot easier without having to see this every single day."

Cleveland 19 was told that everything about the home from the basement walls to the driveway will be torn up and removed. What will eventually happen to the property hasn't yet been determined.

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