A Cass County sheriff's official has confirmed that all six members of a rural southeast Nebraska family were killed in a house fire this week.
Capt. Dave Lamprecht said Friday that 36-year-old Michael Speer; his wife, 36-year-old Michelle Speer; and their four young daughters Elli, Addilyn, Emma, and Anniston died in the blaze reported just after midnight Wednesday.
Lamprecht says autopsies were performed Friday, but no results have been released. He said he is unaware whether the cause of the fire has been determined. A call to the state fire marshal, whose office is investigating the blaze, was not answered Friday afternoon.
Little is left of the two-story home, which was reduced to rubble on blackened earth near Nehawka, about 30 miles south of Omaha.
An official with the Union Pacific confirmed to KMTV that the Speer parents worked for them.
They released this short statement:
Union Pacific mourns the Speer family tragedy. It is an unimaginable loss for everyone who knew them. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Speers, their family and friends.
A GoFundMepage has been set up by the Perez family to help with funeral costs for 11-year-old Elli.
James Perez is Elli's biological father.
