Father of two-year-old twins found dead in the backseat of family’s car in Oklahoma breaks silence after vicious rumors as he pays tribute to the adorable toddlers

The father of two-year-old twins from Oklahoma who were found dead in the backseat of a hot car has broken his silence after heartless rumors about their deaths circulated online.

Avery and Ariel were found unresponsive in the backseat of a family car around 3 p.m. Thursday in the Norman neighborhood, where temperatures outside reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Father Marshall Suter told DailyMail.com he was at work when a police officer called him with the tragic news that his daughters were gone.

“I didn’t know anything until 11:15pm on September 5th and I was personally told by the police that they had passed away. Since then my heart has been a wreck.”

Twin toddlers, Ariel and Avery, were found dead in a hot car in Norman, Oklahoma around 3 p.m. Thursday

The girls were supposed to be taken to the shelter by a family member, but ended up being left in the backseat of the car for most of the day

It was an anonymous family member who had driven into the white car, but turned around and saw that the twins in the backseat had died.

The relative was supposed to take the children to daycare, but forgot. By the time the couple was found, it was too late.

Officers pronounced the children dead at the scene after they were called for a welfare check. Police are still investigating how and why they were left in the burning car.

On Sunday night, Suter paid tribute to the twins, who were born in 2022, describing them as the “smartest, best twins the world could ever have” and expressing a love that was “the purest” he had ever experienced.

“They were loved by everyone in the family. They did everything together,” Suter told DailyMail.com.

“From the hugs to the kisses to the laughter. Their love was the purest I have ever felt. And I will never feel that again. Mommy and Daddy love their baby girls.

“No day will ever be the same. Our hearts are broken. Losing a child is probably the hardest thing in the world, and I’ve lost two. I don’t think I’ll ever be okay again,” said a heartbroken Suter.

“From the hugs to the kisses to the laughter. Their love was the purest I have ever felt. And I will never feel that again. Mommy and Daddy love their baby girls,” Suter said in tribute.

Officers soon found the vehicle (pictured) and pronounced the girls dead at the scene. Police are still investigating why they were left in the burning car.

A floral tribute has been placed at McKinley Elementary in Norman, Oklahoma

Police are not currently recommending charges in the deaths and say the family is cooperating with the investigation.

“We should have determined that there was probable cause that pointed to willful negligence that directly linked them to the deaths of those children, and right now the investigation just shows us that this is much more of an accident,” said Sarah Schettler of the Normal Police Department. KOCO5.

Police suspect the children were in the car all day, but the exact timing of the events is still unclear.

“This is truly tragic and has been very hard on the family involved, especially when it comes to hateful comments. I hope this at least shows people that it was not intentional and truly an accident. This family just wants some peace during this difficult and tough time,” a family member said KVOR.

Katherine Dawson, Ariel and Avery’s mother, also took to social media on Saturday to report their tragic deaths.

“I know there are many people who want to reach out to us and be there for us right now. Both Marshall and I are going through a harder time than we can imagine. We ask that you respect that we need some space right now as we process and grieve.

“If you need us, we have plenty of family members on both sides who can contact us,” Katherine said.

Suter and Dawson, who have four children together, including Ariel and Avery, often post loving photos of their kids on social media — in honor of birthdays and holidays.

Andrew Kabara, a local resident, said cars often park on the street because many parents drop off their children at McKinley Elementary School or the University of Oklahoma, a few blocks from where the toddlers were found.

“We are paying attention to most of them,” Kabara said The Oklahoman.

“This is a close-knit neighborhood and we like to know who comes through here, but we’ve never thought of anything like this before,” he added.

The day the girls were discovered, Kabara said he became concerned when he saw several cars pulled over across the street.

‘We sympathize with the deceased children, their parents and the rest of their families.

‘We can’t imagine it. After we heard [Friday] In the morning our hearts broke when we realized it was just two little kids living across the street.

“It broke our hearts. We can’t believe something like this happened so close to home. It’s a shame,” Kabara said, adding that their deaths were “a tragic mistake.”

Flowers have been laid on the lawn near where Ariel and Avery were found. The coroner is expected to release a cause of death in the coming weeks.

A GoFundMe Page was created by Kourtnee Usey, the cousin of Marshall Suter, the girls’ father.

“All funds raised will be used to give these precious little babies the burial they deserve and to help ease the burden on this father’s shoulders after such a tragic and HEARTBREAKING loss,” Kourtnee wrote.

“No one knows how painful it is to lose a child until you experience it yourself.”

By Sunday evening, the page had already raised more than $4,000.

The twins are seen with their mother Katherine Dawson (right) and their other siblings in December 2023

Police are advising against filing any charges at this time and said the family is cooperating with the investigation. A child seat can be seen on the side of the road

DailyMail.com reached out to Norman police. The horrific incident marks the first heat-related infant death in the state this year.

On August 13, a three-year-old boy was found dead in a burning SUV after his father left him to go shopping.

The child died in an SUV in the parking lot of a grocery store in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, when his father pulled over after work.

The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office is treating the death as a heat-related incident.

In Vicksburg, a town in Kalamazoo County where the death occurred, temperatures that day rose above 86 degrees Fahrenheit.