On Saturday, May 10, at approximately 9:45 a.m., the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in Johnson Lake, located in Plum Creek Canyon.
Inside the home, deputies discovered the bodies of 42-year-old Jeremy Koch, 41-year-old Bailey Koch, and their two sons, 18-year-old Hudson and 16-year-old Asher. The tragic scene was found by Bailey’s parents, Lane and Peggy Kugler, just hours before Hudson was scheduled to graduate at the Cozad High School commencement ceremony.
The celebration continued as planned, but Superintendent Dan Endorf shared a somber message: “As you are aware, our community and our senior class have faced a tragedy in the past few hours. The mixed emotions felt by the senior class on their graduation day, and by everyone in this gymnasium, are impossible to hide in this moment.”
A press release from the Nebraska State Police confirmed that all four family members were found with fatal knife wounds, with a knife located at the scene. Following a preliminary investigation, authorities suggested that Jeremy may have killed his wife and two sons before taking his own life.
The homicide investigation is ongoing, and the Dawson County attorney has ordered autopsies for the Koch family.
Just days before the family’s tragic death, Bailey had created a GoFundMe page to seek financial support for her husband’s ongoing struggle with mental health. In the description, the 41-year-old shared that her husband had been diagnosed with depression in 2009.
In her final post on the now-deleted page, Bailey wrote, “I wish I had better news, as Jeremy was so happy to be released from the mental health hospital yesterday and go home in time for our oldest son’s high school graduation on Saturday.”
Bailey, a special education teacher at Holdrege Public Schools, had also previously established a Facebook page titled Anchoring Hope for Mental Health: Jeremy & Bailey Koch.
She opened up about the challenges her husband faced with his mental health. In an April 8 post, Bailey shared, “Jeremy has survived several suicide attempts, the most recent being last month when I woke up to find him standing beside our bed holding a knife.”
Lane and Peggy Kugler shared a heartfelt message about the loss of their family, stating: “Jeremy had been battling mental illness for many years, and his depression eventually progressed into psychosis. The tragedy that occurred was not Jeremy’s fault; it was the result of a sick mind.” They went on to express the years of relentless effort Bailey and Jeremy put into seeking help for his condition, navigating through endless doctors, hospitals, medications, therapies, and treatments without finding a solution.
The post also conveyed their frustration with the U.S. mental health care system, describing it as a “disaster,” “catastrophe,” and fundamentally broken. They concluded with a plea for change: “This country is in crisis, and there is far too little help available to address the mental health crisis.”
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that one in five individuals in the United States experiences some form of mental illness. Additionally, the age-adjusted suicide rate in the U.S. rose to 14.0 per 100,000 in 2021 and further increased to 14.2 per 100,000 in 2022.
If you or someone you know is struggling with any of the issues mentioned, help is available. In the U.S., you can reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
For those in the U.K., the Samaritans are here to provide support 24/7. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, emailing jo@samaritans.org, or visiting their website to find your nearest branch.
