A REALITY-STAR family who lost their grandparents and a daughter-in-law in a tragic crash on Friday had battled legal issues in the years after their TLC show was canceled in 2017.
The Putman family hit the spotlight eight years ago in a six-episode TLC series following their lives as all 26 adults and kids lived under one roof.
Both grandparents died in the crash[/caption]
Daughter-in-law Megan was among those killed[/caption]
The family revived the show on their YouTube channel Growing Up Putman in 2021.
Meet the Putmans grandparents, “Papa” Bill and “Neenee” Barb, and daughter-in-law Megan died in a crash on Friday night after a semi-truck driver allegedly ran a red light and smashed into their jeep.
Megan’s husband Blake; three of their children Lulu, Alena and Noah; and their niece Gia, were also hurt in the crash and remain hospitalized.
The driver and his passenger suffered minor injuries and he has been taken into custody, cops said.
“Think of the four couples that you are best friends with and enjoy spending a lot of time with,” Blake previously told the Huron Daily Tribune of his family’s decision to live all together in their 34,000-foot home in Michigan.
“Now, imagine living with them. That’s how I feel about my (family).
“God has blessed us for an astronomical amount,” Blake continued.
“We want to pass blessings on to everyone else. We have the same problems and issues as other families. This is how our family gets through it.”
Those problems Blake mentioned included gun charges and filing a lawsuit against the sheriff in the years after their TLC show ended, according to Huron Daily.
In 2019, son Brandon was acquited in a federal court of firearm charges after being arrested in February 2018 and accused of manufacturing machine guns.
He had faced single counts of unlawfully receiving an unregistered firearm, unlawfully receiving or possessing a firearm, and receiving a firearm without a serial number.
He was accused of approaching a gun store owner and offering $100 each for them to duplicate ten devices that transform a semi-automatic AR rifle into a fully-automatic assault rifle.
It legally costs $40,000 for one of these devices to be registered with the National Firearms Act.
However the family’s lawyers noted that they possesses a Federal Firearms License (FFL), as well as a Class 3 Special Occupational Tax (SOT) license.
“When you have both (licenses), you can purchase, possess, transport and receive automatic weapons,” their lawyer told Huron Daily after the aquittal.
Bill Putman had also intially been charged with possessing an illegal firearm.
Those charges were also dropped.
“It had to be dismissed because there was no evidence that Bill Putman ever knew the firearm had been modified,” another of the family’s lawyers, Don Davis, said.
HOME RAIDS
Several of the family’s properties were raided as part of the investigation.
The ATF raids came after claims the family were building an underground shooting range, a tunnel and hidden rooms in their new home, Huron Daily reported.
“The blueprint indicates that in the center section of the residence there is an underground tunnel that extends into the backyard, and a room at the end of the tunnel, away from the house,” the affidavit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) read.
“It appears that the room at the end of the tunnel is located under an old barn.”
A construction worker on the home also reported to the ATF they had seen a safe room under an old barn.
The same worker claimed to have heard members of the Putman family talking about a safe room and stocking guns in a space of concrete under the house.
However, no safe room or shooting room were found by the ATF.
“No safe room or shooting tube were discovered by the search team,” the ATF said.
“Apparently because those portions of the house are completely concealed by the finished wall.”
PRISON LAWSUIT
Grandad Bill was also taken into custody again in 2022 and served a 30-day sentence in the Tuscola County Jail for an assault and battery conviction, the Daily Huron reported.
He was found guilty of assaulting two contruction workers at a medical facility the family owns.
However the family sued after claiming Bill was denied life-saving medication during his time behind bars.
Bill, who suffered from congestive heart failure, claimed he was “intentionally” denied his medication.
The lawsuit claimed Bill was forced to go through multiple surgeries after he suffered a cardiac arrhythmia and subsequent coronary occlusion because he was denied the medication.
His son Blake was his primary care physician and reportedly told the sheriff’s office officials and jail staff of Bill’s medical condition.
The case still remains open, according to Huron Daily.
HORROR ACCIDENT
The crash reportedly took place on Friday night in Tuscola County, Michigan, about 100 miles north of Detroit.
Cops were initally called to an “unknown” collision between two vehicles at around 9pm that night.
A 55-year-old Florida man was arrested at the scene after finding he had allegedly run the stop sign while driving commercial semi-truck with one female passenger, Tuscola County Sheriff’s office said.
The truck plowed into a Jeep carrying eight members of the Putman family.
Bill, Barb, and Megan were declared dead at the scene.
The other five family members were rushed to hospital by helicopter.
Some are in critical condition, cops say.
The semi truck driver and passenger were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.
heir names have not been released.
“This remains an active investigation and names will not be released at this time,” the sheriff’s office confirmed.
‘”We are asking the public to please pay more attention when driving.
“We are having far too many crashes that are destroying people’s lives.”
‘Papa’ Bill Putman and ‘Neenee’ Barb Putman were killed in the accident[/caption]
Megan (center was killed) while husband Blake and three of their children are in hospital[/caption]
FAMILY ASKS FOR PRAYERS
The other members of the Putman family issue a devastating statement on Saturday after the loss of their parents.
“We are asking for complete healing and strength for each of them,” the family wrote.
“We ask for your continued prayers for Uncle Blake, Lulu, Alena, Noah, and Gia as they recover, and for our whole family as we walk through this deep loss.
“Even in this valley, we will praise Him. We trust that His plan is perfect, and that one day, we will be reunited in Heaven.
“My entire family — Papa, Neenee, Billy, Jen, Brandon, Kacie, Blake, Megan, Jamie, Blair, myself (Isabelle), Abby, Emma, Addison, Bella, Mercy, Gabby, Noah, Mya, Nova, Lulu, Alena, Gia, Jonah, Eli, Solomon, Uriah, Samson, Luke, and Anna — all proclaim that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior,” the family’s statement about the deaths continued.
“He is our hope, our peace, and our salvation. Even in this time of heartbreak, we rest in knowing that God is in control.
“Our greatest comfort is found in the Gospel itself—that Jesus died for our sins so that we may have eternal life with Him.”
Read the Putman family’s full statement:
Dear Friends and Family,
I come to you with a heavy heart asking for your prayers. Our family was in a tragic car accident and we lost Papa, Neenee, and Aunt Megan. They have gone home to be with the Lord. Please keep Uncle Blake, Lulu, Alena, Noah, and Gia in your prayers as they remain in the hospital, we are asking for complete healing and strength for each of them.
My entire family—Papa, Neenee, Billy, Jen, Brandon, Kacie, Blake, Megan, Jamie, Blair, myself (Isabelle), Abby, Emma, Addison, Bella, Mercy, Gabby, Noah, Mya, Nova, Lulu, Alena, Gia, Jonah, Eli, Solomon, Uriah, Samson, Luke, and Anna—all proclaim that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. He is our hope, our peace, and our salvation. Even in this time of heartbreak, we rest in knowing that God is in control.
We are holding onto the peace Jesus promised in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you… Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” And we trust the truth of Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Our greatest comfort is found in the Gospel itself—that Jesus died for our sins so that we may have eternal life with Him (John 3:16, Romans 5:8).
Because of that sacrifice, we know Papa, Neenee, and Aunt Megan are not gone forever. They are alive and whole in Heaven, standing before Jesus, hearing the words we all long to hear: “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).
We ask for your continued prayers for Uncle Blake, Lulu, Alena, Noah, and Gia as they recover, and for our whole family as we walk through this deep loss. Even in this valley, we will praise Him. We trust that His plan is perfect, and that one day, we will be reunited in Heaven.
Thank you for every prayer, message, and act of love. Your support means more than words can express. Please continue to lift us up, that our hearts remain fixed on the truth that Jesus conquered death so we could have eternal life.
Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
With God’s Love,
The Putmans
