A Blanchard man who is accused of killing his wife and his unborn child went before a judge Wednesday to face murder charges.

CHICKASHA, Okla.—An alleged theft ring was busted after the suspects got a little stuck in the mud.

Erick Nickell said, “First, I saw tracks leading out of my place, footprints, and then when I got up here, noticed my barn door had been kicked in and about 9 high-powered rifles stolen and a real nice guitar.”

However, that wasn’t the only thing the thieves took.

Nickell said, “I realized they vandalized my job trailer up there, and that cabin and stole my tractor.”

“They also kicked over my outhouse,” he said. “They tried to beat this lock in with an axe.”

The suspects were not only concerned about stealing expensive items, they also had a desire for destruction.

“This whole structure could have collapsed because they kicked all the bracing out,” he said. “I could have lost the whole structure just from some idiotic acts.”

Verden, Okla.-- Investigators say five children suffered extreme physical and emotional abuse at the hand of 65 year old Carol Schmidt. Court documents reveal unspeakable violence.

Sgt. Kevin Daniels with Grady County Sheriff's Office said, "Two boys living in the house were locked in their bedroom at night.