JOHNSON LAKE, Neb. — Just two days after a Nebraska mother expressed a renewed sense of hope in her husband’s mental health treatment, her entire family was found dead in their home in an apparent murder-suicide that has shaken multiple communities across the state.

The Nebraska State Patrol confirmed Saturday Jeremy Koch, 42, fatally stabbed his wife, Bailey, 41, and their two sons, Hudson, 18, and Asher, 16, before taking his own life at the family’s residence near Johnson Lake. All four were found with knife wounds, and a knife was recovered at the scene.

The Nebraska State Patrol continues to lead the investigation. Authorities emphasized there is no ongoing threat to the public.

As law enforcement continues to investigate, the public is beginning to see the layers of struggle behind the tragedy — most notably through a deeply personal GoFundMe page written by Bailey Koch just days earlier. The post, titled “Jeremy’s Battle: Mental Health Support Needed,” was a transparent, emotional plea outlining the family’s yearslong struggle with Jeremy’s severe, treatment-resistant depression.

"May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so here we are... making you aware," she began.

Bailey shared Jeremy was diagnosed in 2009 and had survived multiple suicide attempts, including a near-fatal car crash.

“When he awoke,” she wrote, “he was destroyed his attempt hadn’t worked.”

Even then, Bailey said they lived “in the dark,” hiding their reality while trying to maintain a stable life running a small-town landscaping business. Bailey worked as a teacher while Jeremy kept the business afloat — until last year.

In July 2024, Jeremy’s condition worsened. He could barely get out of bed, no longer worked regularly, and the family’s income dried up. They cashed out retirement accounts to cover debt and bills, and Bailey began to look into selling the family business.

“Jeremy cannot get out of bed unless forced,” she wrote. “By not eating or drinking, Jeremy is slowly completing suicide.”

In March, Bailey woke up to Jeremy standing over her with a knife. She talked him down and got him to agree to treatment. He was admitted to Richard Young Hospital in Kearney for the fourth time. But even a new round of electroconvulsive therapy — a “factory reset,” she called it — didn’t help.

“It didn’t work. Jeremy became a shell of himself.”

Bailey’s voice in the post was filled with desperation: “I have no pride left. 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.”

In her final update posted May 8, Bailey wrote Jeremy had been released from inpatient care and was home in time for Hudson’s high school graduation, scheduled for Saturday.

“We were so hopeful yesterday,” Bailey wrote. But by the next morning, Jeremy had already begun to spiral again after starting a new medication.

“This is mental illness,” she said. “A roller coaster of ups, downs, highs, lows, hope, and no hope.”

She described how she helped him get out of bed, coached him to use coping strategies, and encouraged him to go to work. He was, she said, overwhelmed, suicidal and emotionally exhausted.

“I jump in and advocate... because he can’t,” she wrote.

Bailey was making arrangements for a new treatment option — Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) — and had just found a closer provider in Kearney who offered to take Jeremy as her second-ever patient. That provider reached out after hearing their story at a mental health gala.

“Hope,” Bailey wrote.

Bailey’s school district, Holdrege Public Schools, where she worked as a special education teacher, issued a statement Saturday expressing grief: “Our Holdrege school community is grieving after a tragic event that has deeply affected us all. Our hearts are with everyone impacted.”

Cozad Community Schools also opened school buildings for students and staff, as Hudson was preparing to graduate this weekend and Asher was a freshman on the golf team.

Bailey ended her final post with a photo of Jeremy’s fortune cookie from the night before — it read: “Don’t be afraid to share your experiences with the world.”

"We're not," she wrote.