Death of a mother from Tennessee and 4 identified children

"It seems to be a loving home," Rowland said at a press conference at Columbia Tuesday morning. "It's an immaculate home and a very loving family, so a motive would be very important to know what would make a person do this to their loved ones."

Court documents show that Collier had married the father of the children, Randall Collier, in 1982. Last spring, Cynthia and Randall Collier were divorcing but by the end of May they had asked that the case is closed. They tried to reconcile, according to court documents.

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The scene occurs the day after what members call a murder-suicide that took place on Monday, October 15, 2018 in Columbia, Tennessee. A mother and her four children were found dead at home. (Photo: George Walker IV / The Tennessean)

With the teenagers killed on Monday, Cynthia and Randall Collier had three grown children. The seven children submitted sworn affidavits in their divorce declarations, stating that their parents had been separated unofficially since at least 2007 and that Randall Collier had not lived on the same property as the family since 2009.

According to court documents, Cynthia Collier and the teenage children left Franklin to settle in Colombia over the past two years.

In the statements included in the divorce petition, the teenagers asked to continue living with their mother, saying that they barely knew their father. The three adult children in the couple reported that they had a tense relationship with their father, even though they shared a home before separation.

On Tuesday, the sheriff's office continued to investigate what had led to the family's death.