Girl, 8, thanks 'angel' for strength, police for saving her from man with ax who killed 4 in home

(FOX NEWS) -- The 8-year-old Oregon girl who survived a gruesome attack when her mother's boyfriend killed four people in a home on Saturday before being shot dead by arriving officers had one message for police: thank you.

Hailey Grimm shared horrifying details of the moments when 42-year-old Mark Leo Gregory Gago had his hands on her neck after killing his parents, her mother and her infant sister at the rural home near Woodburn, located about 30 miles south of Oregon.

The 8-year-old told FOX 12 that Gago was speaking in riddles while his hands were pressed on her throat when deputies ultimately found her.

"Then when they came in my room. He yelled, 'No!'" she told FOX 12.

Officers then shot and killed Gago, per the Clackamas County Sheriff Office.

"Police officers, if you're watching this, thank you," said Hailey.

The sheriff's office identified the victims as Olivia Gago, 9 months; Shaina Sweitzer, 31; Jerry Bremer, 66; and Pamela Bremer, 64.

Responding officers say they found a woman dead outside the home and Gago attacking Hailey Grimm, who was Sweitzer's daughter from a previous relationship.

The girl's grandmother, Debi Barry, told the Oregonian that Gago approached Hailey with bloody hands while carrying an ax before grabbing her hair and throwing her against a wall.

"She said she had a guardian angel," she told the newspaper.

Authorities were not sure what weapons were used in the killings, but the victims were not shot, Sheriff's Office Sgt. Brain Jenson said on Sunday.

"I've been told that there were numerous weapons, swords, things of that nature in the residence," he said. "The investigators are trying to determine what exactly was used to kill each person."

The sheriff's office took an emergency call from a resident inside the home at about 10:15 p.m. Saturday. The caller described a violent and hectic scene, Jensen said. Arriving deputies found a "horrific" situation, he said.

Authorities received an emergency call from inside the home around 10:15 p.m. describing a violent scene. Officers arrived to a "horrific" situation, Jenson said.

"I've talked to investigators, 20-year veterans, and they're saying this is a shocking scene," Jensen said.

A roommate, who has not been identified, also survived the attack. She was treated at the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

Hailey told FOX 12 that she misses her mom and sister Olivia, but that she is going to be okay.

"I think I'm strong because of my mommy as an angel in heaven," she said. "I think she's gonna be my angel."

Gago was arrested in August on a weapons charge. Jensen told the Associated Press that Gago was booked on a charge of unlawful possession of a weapon. He did not have details on the circumstances of the arrest or disposition of the case.

Fox News' Katherine Lam and The Associated Press contributed to this report.