A GoFundMe account has been created to help support the mother of two boys killed in Leavenworth and two girls abducted and rescued the same day.
The boys, 14-year-old Logan Jackson and 11-year-old Austin Jackson, were found dead Saturday, police said. The same day, police launched a search for their younger sisters, 7-year-old Nora Jackson and 3-year-old Aven Jackson, who went missing from the home. The girls were later found in Oklahoma and their father, Donny Jackson, was arrested.
“Tara is now faced with the overwhelming task of paying for a funeral for her two sons,” the fundraising page said of the boys’ mother, Tara Jackson. “She will also face many other unknowns in the future.”
The girls’ father, 40-year-old Jackson, was arrested Saturday in connection with their disappearance after his vehicle was found about 500 miles from the Leavenworth home where the girls went missing and the two boys were found dead.
“Nora and Aven, were reunited with Tara after a multi state amber alert, will undoubtedly need help to get through this tragic event as well,” the GoFundMe page continued. “Please help Tara in any way you can.”
According to court records, Donny Jackson is in the middle of divorce proceedings with Tara Jackson. As of Sunday, a status hearing was scheduled for Nov. 12.
Donny Jackson’s attorney withdrew as counsel last month, Leavenworth County court records show. Jackson then began representing himself in court. When reached Sunday, Jackson’s previous attorney declined to comment.
The fundraising page was created by Marisa Clausen. When reached Sunday, Clausen, a friend of the family, confirmed that Tara Jackson is the mother of Logan, Austin, Nora and Aven. Clausen, on behalf of the family, declined an interview and asked that the family be given privacy at this time.
The day prior, the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office was called to the 14900 block of Hillside Road where they discovered the deceased boys.
One of the children was supposed to be at a soccer game Saturday, but didn’t show, police said. Family members then went to the home where they found the boys.
Shortly after, a search went out for the girls. Police at the time said they believed the girl’s father, Donny Jackson, abducted them.
The search was expanded and Kansas Amber Alerts tweeted after officials learned that Kansas Highway Patrol had made an unrelated car stop on Donny Jackson’s vehicle on Highway 169 near the Oklahoma border just after 12:30 p.m.
The abducted children were in the vehicle, officials said. The 911 call that sparked the Amber Alert wasn’t made until after 1 p.m. Amber Alerts were issued in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas
The girls were found Saturday evening after a vehicle matching the amber alert description was seen getting gas in Beckham County, Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Officers pulled Jackson over around mile marker 6 near Erick, Oklahoma, where they arrested Jackson and took the girls from him.
Leavenworth County Undersheriff Jim Sherley said Saturday that law enforcement has “had dealings” with Jackson before.
As of 1 p.m. Sunday, no charges had been filed against Jackson related to Saturday’s arrest.
If you have seen a missing child, suspect or suspect’s vehicle or have other information on a missing child, police ask you to call 911 or 1-800-KS-CRIME.
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 2:09 PM.
