Murphy – It was a somber week in Cherokee County following the drowning deaths of 4-year-old twin boys allegedly at the hands of their mother.
The trauma emerged at 10 a.m. March 2, when Clay Springer stopped by 75 Gooseberry Road to pick up his twins for his scheduled visitation. He found his children dead, likely drowned, possibly the day before.
He called 911, and as he talked with a dispatcher, his estranged wife, Genevieve Ellen Springer, 44, put a handful of drugs in her mouth, chewed them and swallowed.
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Mrs. Springer was rushed to Union General Hospital in Blairsville, Ga., where she was stabilized. She waived extradition and was returned to Murphy. She was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is being held without bail.
The funeral for the two boys, Kessler Clay Springer and Connor Thomas Springer, was held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Peachtree. The family received friends from noon-2 p.m. Sunday at Townson-Rose Funeral Home.
A convoy of Emergency Medical Services ambulances arrived at the visitation. The case was traumatic for first responders; the medics huddled before entering the funeral home and asked that their photo not be taken.
Following the visitation, mourners convoyed to Greenlawn Memorial Gardens, where about 50 people gathered at the gravesite, located on a small rise with a good view of the pastures and mountains. It was sunny, but there was a brisk, cold wind.
Their obituaries
Connor and Kessler were born on Nov. 5, 2019, with their date of death put down as March 2.
“Connor was a brilliant, kind and thoughtful little boy,” according to his obituary. “He was very analytical, reading whole books, writing letters, counting to 100 and reciting all the colors in Spanish. He loved anything educational, anything with numbers or letters, coloring and drawing connect-the-dot puzzles. He loved being active, going on hikes with his brother and Dada, doing somersaults on the trampoline and throwing balls. He was an avid Frisbee thrower for a 4-year-old.”
Connor was the younger of the two.
“Kessler was older by two minutes and lived up to being the older brother,” according to his obituary. “He watched out for Connor, would bring him tissues when he cried and would bring him ice water when thirsty. Kessler was a sweet, gentle, loving boy. He had an outgoing personality and an amazing sense of humor. He would tell you the sky was purple just to make you laugh.
“Kessler loved cars and trucks and trains, and he always wanted to be a fireman and save the day. He had so much fun jumping on the trampoline with his brother and friends. He loved helping around the house and participated in chores like cleaning and his personal favorite: washing clothes with Gaga.”
911 records
Clay Springer, a registered nurse who works at Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital in Peachtree, arrived promptly at 10 a.m. to pick up his sons, as specified by the court-ordered custody agreement.
He and his estranged wife were in the midst of a difficult divorce. He had sought custody of the boys, alleging that Mrs. Springer had drug abuse and mental health issues. District Court Judge Tessa Sellers awarded Mrs. Springer primary custody with a visitation schedule for Springer that included weekday visits and every other weekend.
He called 911 at 10:16 a.m. One can only speculate what that 16 minutes were like, but the 911 audio recording reflects what can only be described as a parent’s worst nightmare.
“Cherokee County 911,” the dispatcher answered in a friendly, calming voice.
“Hello,” Springer said, his voice shaken but surprisingly composed. “I need an ambulance and cop cars to 75 Gooseberry. My sons are …” – he paused, as if dreading the next words he must say – “dead. Please come.”
“Tell me exactly what happened,” the dispatcher replied. Her voice changed in a subtle way, reflecting the gravity of the situation.
“I don’t know,” Springer said. “I came to pick them up and my wife, my ex-wife, has done something to them. She said she drowned them.”
“How many kids?” the dispatcher asked.
“Two, two, they’re 4 years old – they’re twins,” he said.
“Boys?” she asked.
“Boys,” he responded.
“Are they breathing at all?”
“No, they’ve, they’re – no, they’ve been dead for at least a day.”
“So you think they’re beyond any help?”
“Yes,” he replied.
The recording goes silent for a moment, with the 911 dispatcher contacting sheriff’s units and emergency medical responders. The only sounds were of her typing and Springer weeping.
“OK, we’re going to get some help out to you. Give me just a second,” the dispatcher said.
“OK, thank you,” he said.
“Hold on just a moment, do not hang up, you’re not going to hear me for just a moment,” she said. During that moment, she was likely speaking with emergency responders via radio, sharing the gravity of the situation with them as they converged on 75 Gooseberry Road.
As the dispatcher put Springer on hold, the scene continued to unfold at the Harshaw house.
“I don’t know what to do,” Springer said while he was on hold. Mrs. Springer can be heard in the background, but what she was saying was unintelligible.
“I’m afraid you’re going to hurt me,” Springer said to Mrs. Springer. “What is wrong with you? Gen, what is wrong with you?”
The dispatcher took Springer off of hold. He provided her with the names of his sons. She advised him to not touch anything.
“She said they died yesterday,” he volunteered.
Are there any knives or other weapons? the dispatcher asked.
“She’s taking a whole bottle right now,” he said. “Gen, spit them out. Spit them out. Spit them out, spit them out now.”
After a moment, he added, “She’s trying to kill herself.”
“OK, we’ve got the officers coming as well as an ambulance, OK?” the dispatcher said.
“Gen, spit it out,” he said.
“What is she taking?” the dispatcher asked.
“I don’t know, probably her Suboxone,” Springer answered.
Suboxone is a medicine to treat dependence on opioid drugs, such as heroin or morphine, in addicts who have agreed to be treated for their addiction.
“Spit it out,” he continued.
Mrs. Springer could be heard weeping.
“She’s chewing it,” he said. “Spit it out.”
“Why?” Mrs. Springer said.
“OK, we need an ambulance,” Springer said. “She’s swallowing it.”
The 911 dispatcher asked about any weapons in the house.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “She’s in a really bad place right now.”
In custody
Mrs. Springer’s booking photo shows her wearing a protective vest.
A 72-hour hearing was held at 10 a.m. March 4 before Judge Justin Greene. She was assigned a lawyer, Waynesville-based Jann Allison, by the Office of Indigent Defense Services because of the first-degree murder charges.
Her next court date is scheduled for Wednesday, March 20.
Want to help?
To offset funeral and other expenses, an online fundraiser for Springer has been opened at gofundme.com/f/the-springer-twins.