14-Year-Old Boy Charged With Killing His Mother And Younger Brother In Their Sleep

Police said Jacob Remaley fatally shot his mother, Dana Remaley, and his 8-year-old brother, Caleb Remaley, while they slept in their beds.

A 14-year-old Pennsylvania boy was charged with murder for fatally shooting his mother and his 8-year-old brother early Wednesday while they slept, police said.

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Jacob Remaley was charged as an adult with two counts of criminal homicide for killing his mother, Dana Remaley, 46, and his younger brother, Caleb Remaley, in New Stanton, state police said at a press conference Thursday.

Police said Jacob woke up early Wednesday morning, retrieved a firearm from the kitchen, loaded it with a magazine, and went to his mother's bedroom, where he fired one shot into her forehead "from a very short distance away" as she slept.

He then went to his brother's bedroom and did the same, according to police.

Jacob then called 911 and claimed that his father, David Remaley, had left a firearm in his bed in what police believe was an attempt to frame him.

Mutual Aid, an emergency service, first responded to the scene, where they encountered Jacob and provided him with a blanket. They later staged down the road after growing concerned when Jacob went inside the house and retrieved a firearm.

According to police, Jacob then came out of the house with the firearm and began walking down the street. A neighbor spoke to him and de-escalated the situation, resulting in Jacob leaving the firearm on the street, police said.

State troopers who responded to the scene found Jacob in the family's yard with the blanket. Police said he appeared to be "in some sort of shock." They discovered the bodies of his mother and brother inside the house, both of whom appeared to be shot in their beds.

The coroner ruled the cause of both deaths as a gunshot wound to the head.

Police said they then contacted the father, who was at work. Authorities were able to quickly dismiss the idea that he was involved in the shootings.

Jacob will undergo mental health evaluation Wednesday and will then be placed in a juvenile detention center following his arraignment, authorities said.

Police said the only conclusion they came to as a motive for the shooting was that Jacob "had some differences with his parents when it came to getting along with them." However, police said he appeared to share "a fairly good relationship" with his brother.

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"It's very difficult to answer why he would shoot his brother," trooper Stephen Limani said Thursday. "There was a tumultuous relationship with the parents, but there was nothing between him and his brother."

Police said that statements Jacob made to troopers lead them to believe that his father could have also been a victim had he been present in the house.

"This is a horrific act and a horrible day in our country and for the people in New Stanton," Limani said.

"She was wonderful, kind, and caring," Dana Remaley's friend, Anita Stoner, told Triblive.com. "She was that person you could call at 3 a.m. if you needed Tylenol for your kids, and if she didn't have it, she'd run to the store and buy it for you. She'd do anything for anybody.”

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Dana Remaley was a personal care assistant at West Hempfield Middle School, the superintendent of schools said in a statement.