A Nebraska father reportedly killed his entire family and himself in what authorities suspect was a triple murder-suicide. The dad allegedly murdered his wife and children on the same day as his son’s high school graduation — and just days after being released from a mental hospital.
Around 9:45 a.m. Saturday, deputies with the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office reportedly responded to an emergency at a home in Johnson Lake.
‘But my husband tries to kill himself … a lot.’
Deputies found the dead bodies of four individuals “with fatal knife wounds,” the Nebraska State Patrol said in a press release. Police allegedly also discovered a knife at the grisly crime scene.
Police identified the deceased individuals as 42-year-old Jeremy Koch, his 41-year-old wife, Bailey Koch, and their sons, 18-year-old Hudson Koch and 16-year-old Asher Koch.
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Just days before the tragedy, Bailey Koch launched a GoFundMe campaign titled “Jeremy’s Battle: Mental Health Support Needed.”
“But my husband tries to kill himself … a lot,” Bailey wrote.
She noted that Jeremy attempted suicide four times, including a near-fatal collision in 2012 during which “he drove straight into a semi on the highway.”
Bailey said her husband was diagnosed with severe depression in 2009.
The wife said Jeremy went seven years “without experiencing dark thoughts” until July 2024.
She said that because of her husband’s mental illness, he could not consistently work at the family’s landscaping and greenhouse services business.
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Bailey wrote, “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.”
The mother said she was able to “talk him down and into accepting help.”
Jeremy was admitted to the Richard Young Hospital for inpatient mental health treatment for the fourth time.
She said her husband refused to eat or drink while at the hospital and was “slowly completing suicide.”
Bailey said Jeremy was released from the hospital on Thursday so he could attend his son’s high school 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.
Bailey continued, “And yes, he’s having suicidal thoughts, so he had some tears of frustration and sadness.”
The wife noted that she was not going to bring Jeremy back to the mental hospital until after Hudson’s graduation.
Bailey thanked those who had donated to the GoFundMe campaign.
“Oh my heart, you guys!!! I cannot thank you all enough for the support … financial, through messages of support and suggestions, and through prayers,” she wrote. “We feel you holding us as we fight this battle and know God placed you in our lives, so we feel His presence.”
The crowdfunding campaign ended on Sunday after raising more than $20,000.
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News Channel Nebraska reported that Lane and Peggy Kugler — Bailey’s father and mother and the grandparents of the two teen boys — said in a Facebook post: “What I saw will haunt me the rest of my life.”
The Kuglers said they were the first to discover their loved ones dead — “lying in their beds.”
Bailey was a special education teacher with Holdrege Public Schools.
“Our Holdrege school community is grieving after a tragic event that has deeply affected us all,” the school district stated. “Our hearts are with everyone impacted.”
The sons attended Cozad High School, where Hudson was supposed to graduate Saturday.
“Cozad Schools was made aware of a tragic situation that will deeply affect our Cozad community,” the school district said. “Our thoughts are with all those impacted during this incredibly difficult time.”
Bailey also said Hudson was supposed to move to California for a “three-year bonsai apprenticeship” after graduating high school.
Asher was a freshman in high school and a “rockstar golfer on the varsity team.”
Bailey said, “Proud parents here.”
You can watch a local newscast from KLKN-TV here about the tragedy.
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