Family Bible and Photo Album Found Nearly Unscathed in Ruins of Montana Home Where Eight Relatives Were Killed

Megan Ireland-Ghekiere and her two children, Owen and Chloe, were all killed in the massacre in Billings.Courtesy of Littles + Bigs Photography

Amid the charred remains of a Montana home where eight members of one family lost their lives, investigators uncovered two deeply personal belongings that had somehow survived the destruction: a family photo album and Barbara Smith’s Bible.

The discoveries came as authorities continued painstakingly searching the burned property outside Billings following the Aug. 23 shooting and fire that claimed members of four generations of the same blended family. Authorities identified 44-year-old Alan Smith as the gunman and said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after officers arrived.

Two family treasures emerge from the ashes

Megan’s stepchildren, Landon and Charlotte, were also killed in the massacre.Erica Schneider via AP

Interim Yellowstone County Sheriff Kent O’Donnell revealed the discoveries during an update Wednesday.

Investigators have been working through what remains of the roughly 4,000-square-foot residence, carefully searching the debris for evidence. Among the recovered possessions was a family photo album that remained largely intact.

Even more striking to O’Donnell was Barbara Smith’s personal Bible. It contained family information inside its cover yet had suffered remarkably little damage despite the fires that devastated the property.

“There are rays of good and sunshine that come through this,” O’Donnell said while describing the discovery.

The sheriff became emotional as he discussed the Bible, saying its survival made him reflect on whether “something higher” was involved.

Eight victims from four generations

O’Donnell shared that a family photo album and a Bible both remarkably survived the fire at the Billings house.Nate Sayler Racing / Facebook

Authorities identified the victims as Barbara Smith, 72; her husband, Dana Smith, 73; Dana’s mother, Evelyn Smith, 92; their daughter Megan Ireland-Ghekiere, 39; and four children: Landon Ghekiere, 15, Charlotte Ghekiere, 12, Owen Ireland, 13, and Chloe Ireland, 7.

The family had gathered at the home for dinner on Sunday evening.

According to authorities and surviving relatives, Alan Smith had previously lived with his parents at the residence but had been asked to move out several weeks before the shooting. Investigators have not announced a definitive motive.

Police had no previous contact with Alan Smith, O’Donnell said, and authorities had not previously been called to the home.

A desperate 911 call from inside the house

YCSO Sheriff Kent O’Donnell provide an update Wednesday on mass shooting that killed 8 in Billings, Montana.Billings Police Department

Investigators said Smith arrived in the neighborhood shortly before 5:50 p.m.

Just after 6 p.m., a female inside the residence contacted 911. O’Donnell said gunfire could be heard while she spoke with the dispatcher before she stopped responding and the connection remained open.

Authorities have not officially confirmed the caller’s identity. However, family friend Jennifer Mercer identified her as 12-year-old Charlotte Ghekiere.

“The one thing we do know is that Charlotte was the hero,” Mercer told the Associated Press, adding that the girl called 911 and tried to save her family.

Charlotte’s father, Adam Ghekiere, also said police told him his daughter was the person who made the emergency call.

Officers arrived as smoke rose from the home

Barbara Smith with her grandchildren Owen and Chloe. The shooting took place at Barbara’s house.Courtesy of Littles + Bigs Photography

Police reached the property roughly 10 minutes after the emergency call.

According to O’Donnell, officers confronted Smith near the front of the house. He retreated inside, where officers heard additional gunfire and saw smoke.

Smith subsequently went into the backyard and shot himself, authorities said. Multiple fires had been started inside the residence.

The rapidly spreading fire created another obstacle for first responders. The property sits outside Billings city limits in an area without fire hydrants immediately available, and firefighters also had to wait until law enforcement secured the scene before they could fully confront the blaze.

The fire eventually reduced much of the house to ruins.

A father learned of the unfolding tragedy while at work

Megan’s husband, Adam Ghekiere, was working at the time and was not at the family dinner.

Ghekiere, who works at the Billings airport, told the Associated Press that he heard emergency radio traffic about an active shooting. He began calling members of his family but could not reach them, then rushed across town.

When he arrived, the house was burning.

About two hours later, he learned that his wife and the children had died. Ghekiere said the gathering was unusual because the family typically held its dinners on Fridays, leading him to believe Alan Smith may not have expected the children to be present.

What is known about Alan Smith

Relatives said Smith had lived with his parents for years before being asked to leave several weeks earlier.

Brad Ireland, Megan’s former husband and the father of Owen and Chloe, described Smith as reclusive and said he spent much of his time alone on his computer. Ireland said that, to his knowledge, Smith had not previously been physically violent, although he could be verbally abusive.

A search of criminal records in Montana and Washington found no previous arrest or criminal charge against him, according to the Associated Press.

Authorities have cautioned against assuming that being asked to leave the family home was definitively the motive. With the suspected gunman dead, investigators are still trying to establish exactly what led to the attack.

Investigators continue searching “shovel by shovel”

The destruction of the house has made the investigation unusually difficult.

Teams have been moving methodically through the burned structure, searching for evidence that could help reconstruct both the shooting and the fires. Multiple weapons have been recovered, while authorities continue examining the scene and awaiting further forensic findings.

The tragedy has deeply affected Billings and the surrounding community. Flowers have been placed at a memorial near the property, while neighbors have brought food and water to investigators working at the scene.

Billings Mayor Mike Nelson said the impact stretches far beyond those who personally knew the Smith and Ghekiere families, describing a community moving from shock toward grief and anger while trying to support the surviving relatives.

Against that devastation, the two possessions recovered from the ashes have taken on particular significance.

The photographs preserve memories of a family that lost four generations in a single evening. And Barbara Smith’s almost untouched Bible — still containing the family information written inside — remains one of the few deeply personal objects investigators have been able to return from a home otherwise devastated by fire.

For O’Donnell, their survival offered a rare moment of hope during an investigation he described simply as tragic.