Authorities in Nebraska are investigating what they believe to be a tragic case of murder-suicide after four people were found dead in a home at Johnson Lake over the weekend.
Dad kills wife and sons in murder-suicide
Investigators suspect that Jeremy Koch, 42, fatally stabbed his wife and two teenage sons before taking his own life in a murder-suicide.
Deputies from the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the Koch family’s residence around 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, following a call to 911.
When officers arrived, they encountered four family members that had sustained fatal injuries from a knife attack, according to a statement released by the Nebraska State Patrol. A blade, thought to have been used in the killings, was located at the site.
The victims were identified as Jeremy Koch; his 41-year-old wife, Bailey Koch; and their sons—Hudson, 18, and Asher, 16.
According to public records and online posts, the deaths occurred on the same day that Hudson was supposed to graduate from high school.
The incident also took place just two days after Jeremy Koch had been discharged from a mental health facility.
In the days leading up to the slaying, Bailey Koch had started a fundraiser titled Jeremy’s Battle: Mental Health Support Needed, detailing the family’s struggles.
“But my husband tries to kill himself … a lot,” Bailey wrote in the campaign’s description.
She detailed that Jeremy had attempted suicide four times. One of those attempts, she said, involved a car crash in 2012 when “he drove straight into a semi on the highway.”
Bailey shared that Jeremy was first diagnosed with severe depression in 2009 and had remained stable for a stretch of about seven years. However, she noted that his condition deteriorated again beginning in July 2024 and escalated rapidly.
“In March, just a couple months ago, I woke to Jeremy shaking me awake saying, ‘Something is wrong.’ He was standing over my bed with a knife ready to end his life,” Bailey revealed in the GoFundMe post.
She said she was able to calm him down and persuade him to seek professional care. Following that incident, Jeremy was admitted to Richard Young Hospital for inpatient treatment for the fourth time.
Dad was released from facility to attend son’s graduation
She wrote that Jeremy had been discharged from the hospital on Thursday so that he could be present for Hudson’s graduation.
“But it appears Jeremy is reacting negatively to our attempt with a new mental health med … one he’s been on for a whole three nights,” she wrote.
“And yes, he’s having suicidal thoughts, so he had some tears of frustration and sadness,” she continued.
Bailey had planned to wait until after graduation to readmit her husband for further mental health care.
She worked as a special education instructor at Holdrege Public Schools. Hudson, who was graduating from high school, had aspirations of moving to California to study bonsai cultivation as part of an apprenticeship. Asher, a high school freshman, had already made a name for himself as a varsity golf player.
Officials have not made public any potential motive, nor have they confirmed whether any messages were recovered from the home.
The Nebraska State Patrol has taken over the primary investigation into the homicides. Meanwhile, the Dawson County Attorney has ordered autopsies for all four family members, with results are expected later in the week.
Authorities have stated that they are not currently searching for any other suspects.
Montana family of four found dead in murder-suicide
Meanwhile, law enforcement officials in Kalispell, Montana, are handling a separate murder-suicide that appears to involve a similar chain of events.
Four members of a young family were discovered dead in their home on Werner Peak Trail early Saturday morning.
Kalispell Police were dispatched at 5:52 a.m. on May 11 after a 911 call came in from 33-year-old Nicholas Olson-Hartley. Police say the caller made several disturbing remarks before abruptly ending the call.
Upon arriving at the scene and observing concerning indicators outside the residence, officers forced entry into the home.
Inside, they found the lifeless bodies of Olson-Hartley and his wife, 27-year-old Katie Olson-Hartley. Both had been killed by gunshots.
Further examination of the house revealed the couple’s children, aged six years and seven months, who were also dead from gunshot wounds.
“Once inside, they discovered Nicholas Olson-Hartley and his wife Katie Olson-Hartley dead from apparent gunshot wounds,” police confirmed in a statement.
“Further clearing of the residence led to the discovery of two children, one 6 years old and the other 7 months, also deceased from gunshot wounds.”
Investigators believe Olson-Hartley was responsible for shooting his wife and children before turning the weapon on himself. The sequence of events likely unfolded shortly after he made the 911 call.
“After collecting evidence throughout the day and interviewing numerous people, we believe this tragic event to be the result of a murder suicide. It appears Nicholas Olson-Hartley took the lives of his young family before calling 911. After making the phone call to dispatch, he took his own life,” the department stated.
Officials have yet to publicly discuss a possible motive, and it remains unclear whether Olson-Hartley had a documented history of mental illness. Authorities did note that the 911 call had been classified as a mental health-related emergency.
The investigation is ongoing and is being handled in coordination with the Montana State Crime Lab. Autopsies will determine the precise causes and times of death.
