Murphy – A Harshaw Road mother is in jail, accused of murdering her 4-year-old twin boys amid a messy divorce and custody dispute that left first responders to the incident distraught.
Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith, following his response to the scene of the homicides Saturday, posted this on his Facebook page:
“I love being the Sheriff of Cherokee County it is the honor of my life,” he wrote. “I will also say it’s the toughest job of my life. There is evil in this world folks please pray for our county.”
At about the same time Saturday, his office posted this on the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page:
“Deputies from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation are investigating a homicide in the Harshaw Community of Murphy. There is no danger to the local community. As this is an ongoing investigation, no further details can be released.”
The cryptic announcement was shared 200 times and, within hours, hundreds of people across Cherokee County asked questions about the case and shared what they knew. Late Sunday, the sheriff released more.
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“On March 2, 2024, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and Cherokee County Emergency Services responded to a 911 call at 75 Gooseberry Road in Murphy, N.C. The reporting party was a Cherokee County father who had arrived at the home of his separated wife to exercise custody of his 4-year-old twin sons around 10 a.m. that day. Upon arrival he discovered his twin sons deceased.
“An investigation followed which included Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office deputies and detectives, agents of the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and assistant district attorneys from the office of Ashley Welch.
“Genevieve Ellen Springer, the mother of the deceased twins, was hospitalized in north Georgia and charged with two counts of first-degree murder by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. Upon release from the hospital on March 2, Springer was arrested in Union County, Ga. Springer waived extradition and was transported to the Cherokee County Detention Center on March 3, where she is held without bond.
“The date and time of death is under investigation. Upon information and belief, the last time the Cherokee County father saw his twin sons alive was on Feb. 26, 2024. Accordingly, the date of the offense on the warrants is a range of Feb. 26, 2024, through March 2, 2024. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office is hopeful that autopsies will narrow down the date and time of the twins’ passing.”
In his release, Smith asked for prayers for the victims’ family and friends, as well as for the first responders involved.
A critical incident debriefing will be held for all first responders involved in the case. A critical incident debriefing is a facilitator-led group process conducted soon after a traumatic event with individuals considered to be under stress from trauma exposure.
911 call
Cherokee County 911 Dispatch received a call from Clay Springer, the father, on Saturday morning asking for an ambulance and law enforcement. “My sons are dead, please come,” he said.
“I just came to pick them up and my wife, my ex-wife, has done something to them, she says she drowned them,” he said.
During the call, Springer said his estranged wife was threatening to kill herself and that he also feared for his own life. He told dispatchers his estranged wife told him that the twins were drowned Friday.
Mrs. Springer is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
Amid divorce
The homicides came amid a divorce case making its way through Cherokee County District Court.
Genevieve and Clay Springer shared a picturesque home at 75 Gooseberry Road in Harshaw, a tidy bungalow with shade trees, picket fence and twin slides in the backyard for the twin boys, set at the end of a cul de sac. Neighboring houses are equally charming.
Prior to her arrest over the weekend, Mrs. Springer’s criminal record was limited to a speeding ticket that was dismissed.
The two were married in 2010 and, by her account, they had a loving marriage and she was a dutiful spouse. The couple withstood two miscarriages before their twins were born.
However, Mrs. Springer filed for divorce against her husband in 2023, alleging infidelity. She also filed an alienation of affections lawsuit against a woman allegedly involved in the infidelity, but dropped that lawsuit for unknown reasons.
Their separation became official on July 21, 2023.
Mrs. Springer’s divorce filing sought for her to have full custody of the children, identified in court records as 4-year-old twins Kessler Clay Springer and Connor Thomas Springer, and to receive child support as well as an equitable share of their property.
In his response, Springer also sought full custody and child support, alleging that his estranged wife had ongoing problems with mental health, alcoholism and abuse of prescription medications.
Mrs. Springer “became an excessive user of alcohol and abuser of other substances, so as to render the condition of the defendant intolerable and his life burdensome,” he alleged in his response. He added that his wife was interfering with his agreed-to visitation schedule and tried to alienate the children from their father.
Springer alleged that his estranged wife as “not a fit and proper person to have physical and legal custody.” In June 2023, she was intoxicated and nearly burned their house down with the children inside, he alleged.
Springer said in court filings that his children had fallen behind on development milestones and were enrolled in Head Start. However, his estranged wife withdrew them from the program without explanation, telling him she was the mother and he had no say.
Mrs. Springer’s first lawyer, William Shilling, withdrew from the case in January, saying that she “makes decisions and takes actions without consulting him. … The attorney/client relationship is no longer viable.”
Beverly Cook became Mrs. Springer’s lawyer at that point, while Springer’s lawyer remained Holly Christy. The substance of the divorce case remained unchanged even with a new lawyer.
Full custody
In an interim ruling in February, District Court Judge Tessa Sellers awarded full custody to Mrs. Springer pending outcome of subsequent hearings.
The couple was in the midst of child custody orientation and mediation. Springer said he would agree to Mrs. Springer’s custody of the twins if she becomes and remains sober, and fosters a good relationship between him and the twins.
Sellers ruled that Springer was permitted to have the twins from 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays to 7:30 a.m. Thursdays, and every other weekend from 10 a.m. Saturday through noon Sunday.
Last weekend was supposed to be the weekend Springer had the twins. He showed up to pick up the children at 10 a.m., as required in the court order.
He found his sons dead. It is unclear from official statements what state Mrs. Springer was in Saturday morning when Springer arrived, but she required hospitalization before she was released into custody.