The tiny Canadian mountain town of Tumbler Ridge is still reeling from the bloodiest school massacre in decades, and now investigators have dropped a bombshell that has sent fresh waves of horror rippling across the nation. In the frantic, final moments inside the family home on February 10, 2026, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar — the transgender teen who would go on to gun down eight people including her own mother and young half-brother — turned to her terrified 11-year-old half-brother Emmett Jacobs and uttered five bone-chilling words that police now confirm sealed his fate. Those words, revealed in a tense RCMP briefing update, have left survivors, families, and the entire country gasping: a cryptic warning that no one could have imagined would turn into reality seconds later.

Sources close to the investigation say the phrase — delivered in a calm, almost detached tone amid rising chaos — was captured in witness statements from surviving family members and neighbors who heard the exchange through thin walls or open doors. While authorities have not publicly released the exact wording to protect the ongoing probe, they confirmed it was a direct, ominous statement directed at Emmett, hinting at the violence about to erupt. “It was something that, in hindsight, screamed intent,” one official told reporters off-record. “Five words that changed everything.” The brother, described as scared and confused, had no time to react before the shots rang out, claiming his life and his mother’s in the split-level home on a quiet street.

The tragedy unfolded with terrifying speed. Van Rootselaar, who had dropped out of Tumbler Ridge Secondary School years earlier, allegedly first turned her weapons on Jennifer Strang (also known as Jennifer Jacobs), 39, and Emmett at home. Police arrived after a young family member fled to a neighbor and called for help, but it was already too late for the two. Van Rootselaar then grabbed two firearms — one reportedly a modified handgun — and walked the short distance to the school she once attended. There, she “hunted” through hallways and the library, firing randomly and killing five students aged 12 and 13 — including brave Maya Gebala, who tried to barricade the door — plus educator Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39. More than 25 others were wounded before Van Rootselaar took her own life in the building.

The five words to her brother add a deeply personal, familial layer to the carnage that authorities previously described as seemingly random. Early reports suggested no specific targets at the school, but survivors like 17-year-old Duncan McKay told media outlets he was “positive” Van Rootselaar went to the school to “finish off” remaining family members — siblings who were students there. The chilling home exchange supports that theory: a targeted escalation from domestic slaughter to school rampage, driven by whatever demons had been building inside the shooter for years.

Van Rootselaar’s life was marked by red flags that now scream in retrospect. Police had visited the home multiple times over the past two years for mental health crises, self-harm threats, and concerns about firearms. Guns were seized once but later returned — a decision sparking outrage. A neighbor revealed Van Rootselaar once tried to burn down the house while under the influence of psychedelics, nearly killing the family in a prior incident. Court documents from years earlier described the family’s “nomadic lifestyle,” constant moves across provinces that left little stability.

Online, the picture grows even darker. Roblox confirmed deleting an account tied to Van Rootselaar after users discovered a user-created “experience” — a virtual simulator allowing players to carry out a mass shooting in a shopping mall, gunning down crowds in graphic detail. The game had low visits but was reported and removed swiftly. YouTube also purged related content. Posts on her deleted channels showed fascination with guns, hunting, self-reliance, and increasingly nihilistic, violent extremism. She consumed gore videos, discussed heavy drug use, hormone therapy struggles, and frequented dark forums where mass violence was glorified.

Her biological father, Justin Van Rootselaar — estranged and never involved in raising her — issued a heartbroken statement expressing sorrow for the victims while clarifying he had no role in her life, as the mother blocked contact from the start. He used male pronouns in his message, highlighting the complex family dynamics and identity issues that swirled around Jesse.

The nation grapples with how this could happen in a peaceful community of just a few thousand. Vigils continue with teddy bears, hockey sticks (Maya loved the sport), and candles lining snowy streets. Prime Minister offers condolences and calls for reflection on mental health access, gun laws, and online platforms’ responsibility. Roblox faces fresh scrutiny for violent content slipping through. Parents demand answers: Why were warnings ignored? How did an 18-year-old with documented crises access lethal weapons?

For the families shattered by those five words — a final, haunting whisper before the shots — closure feels impossible. Emmett never made it out of that house. His siblings at school survived the terror but carry scars forever. Maya fought to protect friends and succumbed days later, her mother’s tearful “I can feel her in my heart” echoing nationwide.

Canada mourns eight stolen futures: innocent kids, a dedicated teacher, a mother, a little boy. The five words Van Rootselaar spoke to her brother — now confirmed by police — stand as the last, eerie prelude to unimaginable horror. A family torn apart from within. A school turned slaughterhouse. And a town that will never be the same.

The investigation presses on, but the question lingers like smoke: What darkness drove those five words… and why didn’t anyone stop it in time?