Again, I hardly ever write but BaileyJo thank you so much for the kind words. I hope everyone has your outlook and truly has the ability to think this way.

to sportsfan50- THANK YOU! I have every confidence SWAT did their best to save as many total lives as you could but had to consider the children with each move that was or wasnt made. If you've ever had the unfortunate experience to live near to or next to a home where something like this, an arson/murder or homoside/suicide has happened and watch these men & women, (& cant forget the K-9s), do their jobs I believe you'd share my opinion. It is a horrific, shocking, stunning, mortifying ordeal. You are anxious yet trying not to panic. You know a neighbor has lost their life & you have just been forced to in one form or another to witness this. Someone needs help & you do not have the training or resources to help them. Next thing you know there are hero angels every where, risking their lives to save others. When you are watching this these men & women in action they have a system, a plan, everyone has a specific job & they know when to do it. It is organized chaos. The relief you feel as these amazing trained men & women step in and take control of the situation is nothing but a total blessing & relief. Thank all of you for what you do and for what you give of yourself.

First off I hardly ever ever comment on one of these and have no idea what name it will use, so sorry. I would first and foremost like to thank Skye_blue, I was one of the first SWAT guys thru the door and think the outcome was as good if not better than any of us could have prayed for. After we got the idiot into custody, what truly was without incident as the press said, I was immediatly hugged by the boy. We had no idea what we were going into and was praying the kids would walk out with us, as they did. Now onto Grambo0416. I would have loved to have gone into the house and saved everyone including Kim. I, along with all of my partners, would have went without any hesitation. We were not as you said guarding the house. When you have two kids as hostages we were the team that would have immediatly went if at any time things would have gotten worse, say maybe more shots. I promise we would have loved to have gotten everyone out alive but I truly believe he would have shot everyone there if we would have tried earlier. I just pray that somehow the two kids will have a normal lif and I will be praying for them every single day.

I am sorry about the lady dying. Not everyone knew the whole story. I agree with you on the bail. I think they should not bail anyone one when it comes to kids. But I still stand by, the public doesn't need to know about what is going on. Neighbors yes, But people like me who live away from the ordeal don't need to be told until after it is over with. To many people try to get involved or see what is happening and get in the police's way. The press needs to hold off a lot of times on saying to much. Location, what has happen, etc. All they need to know is to stay away and police need to take care of that the press.

I couldn't agree more with BaileyJo. I am one of those neighbors. This, in my opinion, is a total failure of the very justice system that is meant to protect us in the first place.

For one thing, he should have never been allowed out of jail to begin with. When it comes to protecting the children, they should be presumed guilty until proven innocent. I've heard all of the arguments about how some people are innocent and shouldn't be forced to remain in jail. However, I think that the number of children that could be saved from these monsters far outweighs the number of innocent stuck in jail until trial. Whoever allowed bail in the first place should carry the weight on their shoulders of the attack on this family and any future suffering that results from it!

Kim lay there slowly bleeding to death while they stood guarding the house. We know that she was still alive as late as midnight because they talked to her. At this time she told them she was burning and getting cold. FIVE HOURS AT LEAST! As frustrated and hopeless as we felt as bystanders I can't even phathom the thought of how her family felt waiting, knowing that her life was gradually slipping away and nobody was there to help her. I can understand that the law enforcement were worried about the safety of the children, everybody was. But those children will now suffer for the rest of their lives from this ordeal and they will live with the images of that night in their minds forever. And they will always have to wonder if their mother would still be here if only she'd been gotten help sooner.

This is something that you don't have to be close to the victims for it to effect you emotionally you need only to be human. The helpless feeling that you feel runs very deep when you are watching and waiting. If only the system hadn't failed this family the first time, they wouldn't have needed to fail her the second time either! I say it's time to amend some laws to protect the children who are the victims and not the accused!!!

First, My condolences to Kim's children, family & neighbors who were FORCED to witness such an ordeal.

Next, it is my understanding that David Cox Sr. was out on bail for ... I'll just say a "form of assult & abuse" on Kim's 13 yr. old daughter. My big question is, once David asulted his step daughter in the mannor in which he did ... WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALLOWING BAIL IN THE FIRST PLACE ONLY TO RELEASE HIM FROM JAIL TO GO BACK & HARM THE VERY SAME FAMILY HE WAS IN JAIL FOR ATTACKING IN THE FIRST PLACE? In my eyes, who ever allowed bail after such a horrific violation of this child & family in the first place should be held accountable as an accessory. THIS WAS 100% PREVENTABLE. "The system" totally FAILED this entire family not just once, but twice. Considering this epic system failure I certainly hope the city / county picks up the tab to provide these children & Kim's family with all of the counceling, therapy & any other resources they will require now & in the future. The horrific system turned Kim & her children in to statistics.

For once the police did the right thing. The public doesn't need to know everything. The police need to be able to take care of business and not have to worry about the public getting in the way. Yes I like to know things going on but being from a big city, I know some things are better left to the police. Great job guys. You got the kids out alive. It could have gone a differant way. But it didn't, I am sad for the lady but it was probably to late for her by the time you got there.

Just updated the story with names of victim and suspect. We were originally told the location was Sherman, but we're told now by Union County Sheriff it is Blue Springs. More as it becomes available.

Todd Vinyard

Online Editor

Glad to see the Journal FINALLY reporting on this story!! I guess half a day late is better than not reporting it at all, huh?!!

WTVA reported it on their site 14 hours ago but the last update I could get was at 12:45 am this morning and their site has been unreachable for the last couple of hours.