This article addresses the topic of suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please reach out to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The spouse of a Nebraska man, who is believed to have murdered his entire family of four in a murder-suicide, sought online assistance for her husband’s mental health just days before her tragic death alongside her two sons, a report reveals.
Jeremy Koch, aged 42, fatally stabbed his wife Bailey, aged 41, and their sons, Hudson, aged 18, and Asher, aged 16, before ending his own life at their rural Dawson County residence, as confirmed by the Nebraska State Patrol on Saturday.
Hudson was scheduled to graduate from high school on Saturday, just hours after the family was found dead, according to News Channel Nebraska.
Jeremy Koch, second from left, reportedly killed his wife Bailey and their two sons in a murder-suicide. (Bailey Koch via Facebook)
Last year, according to Bailey, Jeremy’s depression reached a fever pitch.
“Jeremy cannot get out of bed unless forced,” she wrote. “By not eating or drinking, Jeremy is slowly completing suicide.”
She reportedly wrote that the family’s income, which came from a local landscaping business Jeremy owned, had dried up.
In March, Bailey said she woke up to Jeremy standing over her with a knife but talked him down and convinced him to get inpatient mental health care. That was the fourth time Jeremy had been hospitalized for his mental health struggles, according to the report.
She said a round of electroconvulsive therapy did not help her husband.
Jeremy Koch reportedly killed his wife Bailey and their two sons. (Bailey Koch via Facebook)
“It didn’t work. Jeremy became a shell of himself.”
“I have no pride left,” she wrote at the time. “Mental illness is taking my husband from me, and I’m begging you to open your eyes and see the reality that is this society’s mental health crisis.”
However, Bailey reportedly said on the GoFundMe that Jeremy had been released from the hospital last week to attend Hudson’s graduation.
Bailey worked as a special education teacher at Holdrege Public Schools.
“Our Holdrege school community is grieving after a tragic event that has deeply affected us all,” the district reportedly said Saturday. “Our hearts are with everyone impacted.”
