A family of four in Nebraska was found dead in what authorities believe was an apparent murder-suicide.
On Saturday, May 10, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office was called to a home at Johnson Lake, Plum Creek Canyon #1 at around 9:45 a.m. local time.
Victims were Found Dead with ‘Knife Wounds’
When authorities arrived at the scene, they found a family of four deceased at the scene from “fatal knife wounds,” the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) announced in a news release.
After a preliminary investigation, police believe 42-year-old Jeremy Koch killed both of his sons — Hudson, 18, and Asher, 16 — and his 41-year-old wife, Bailey, before taking his own life. The NSP also said a knife was discovered at the scene.
The agency is now leading a homicide investigation, which remains ongoing, and the Dawson County Attorney has ordered autopsies for the four family members.
“The Nebraska State Patrol, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, Eustis Fire & Rescue and the Dawson County Attorney extend condolences to all, across multiple communities, who will be affected by this incident,” the NSP said in a statement.
‘My Husband Tries to Kill Himself….A Lot,’ Bailey Wrote in GoFundMe Set Up for Jeremy’s Mental Health Struggles
Bailey, a special education teacher at Holdrege Public Schools, launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe days before her death, titled “Jeremy’s Battle: Mental Health Support Needed,” in which she detailed years of Jeremy’s struggles with depression. The fundraiser, which had raised $20,000 in donations, has since been removed.
In the description, Bailey had noted that her husband was diagnosed with depression in 2009 and that his condition worsened in 2024. “But my husband tries to kill himself…a lot,” she wrote.
She added that in March, she awoke to her husband standing over her with a knife, ready to kill himself. She said, after that incident, she convinced him to get treatment and electroconvulsive therapy.
In a Facebook update on Thursday, May 8, Bailey wrote that her husband had been accepted into a mental health facility and that he “understands it’s because we love him so much.”
“Our boys are doing well living their lives, and for that, we are thankful,” she wrote at the time. “Please just pray Jeremy is able to somehow be with us Saturday for our oldest son’s high school graduation. We love you all. And THANK YOU for supporting and sharing our story.”
