On March 21, 2023, 6-year-old Jacob De Zeeuw Jr. was shot and killed by his biological father, Jacob De Zeeuw Sr. (age 27), in a murder-suicide at a south Phoenix home near 16th Street and South Mountain Avenue. The father also shot and killed his significant other, Sarah Scott (age 37), who was four months pregnant. Police found one adult and the child in the backyard and another adult inside the home. The father then turned the gun on himself. The medical examiner determined the child's cause of death was gunshot wounds of the head and ruled the manner of death a homicide. The family had two prior unsubstantiated DCS reports, both involving the child's mother, but there were no prior reports involving the father, and no DCS services were active at the time of the incident.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
The medical examiner report states the cause of death as "GUNSHOT WOUNDS OF HEAD" with a submanner of "Assault - Firearm(s)." The fatality report confirms "Jacob Dezeeuw Sr., shot and killed him." Multiple news articles also identify the deaths as a shooting.
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The medical examiner report lists the cause of death as "GUNSHOT WOUNDS OF HEAD" with a manner of "Homicide" and submanner of "Assault - Firearm(s)." The fatality report states "Jacob Dezeeuw Sr., shot and killed him prior to committing suicide." The child was shot, which is an inflicted injury.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
The fatality report states "Jacob Dezeeuw Sr., shot and killed him prior to committing suicide." The azcentral.com article explicitly describes the incident as "the result of a murder-suicide." The 12news article says De Zeeuw "is suspected of shooting the victims before shooting himself."
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
The fatality report states "his father, Jacob Dezeeuw Sr., shot and killed him prior to committing suicide." The 12news article confirms the father-son relationship, quoting a friend who said De Zeeuw "loved his son more than anything in the world. He fought for years for full custody." Jacob De Zeeuw Sr. was the child's biological father.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
The fatality report explicitly describes two prior DCS reports involving Jacob Dezeeuw Jr.: "On 12/5/21, a report was received alleging physical abuse to Jacob by his mother. The allegations were unsubstantiated." and "On 3/30/2020, a report was received alleging neglect to Jacob by his mother. The allegations were unsubstantiated."
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The medical examiner report states the child "was shot along with his father's significant other, by his father, in the back yard of his father's significant other's residence." The 12news article identifies the second victim as Sarah Scott, 37, who was four months pregnant and in a relationship with the father. The father shot and killed his intimate partner before killing himself, which constitutes intimate partner/domestic violence, even though the word "domestic violence" is not used explicitly.
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the sources. First, the father also killed a second adult victim, Sarah Scott, 37, who was four months pregnant and his significant other, making this a double murder (triple if counting the unborn child) plus suicide. The 12news article reports Scott "was four months pregnant at the time of her death." The ME report notes the child had "a history including disturbance in sleep behavior." Additionally, the DCS fatality report describes the incident as occurring "in his home," while the ME report states it occurred "in the back yard of his father's significant other's residence," suggesting a discrepancy regarding the location. A friend quoted in 12news stated the father "fought for years for full custody" of his son, and that there were "no signs of any trouble" on the surface between the father and Scott. The two prior DCS reports were both about the mother, not the father, and both were unsubstantiated — the father had no prior DCS involvement as a perpetrator.
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