JOHNSON LAKE, Neb. — The grieving family of four Nebraskans killed in a murder-suicide over the weekend is calling for urgent reform to the nation’s mental health system, saying the tragedy was not the act of a man, but of a mind consumed by illness.

Lane and Peggy Kugler — parents of Bailey Koch and grandparents to Hudson and Asher — released a statement Sunday describing in devastating detail what they witnessed and what they want the public to know.

“Jeremy had killed them and himself,” the Kugler's wrote. “Jeremy had been fighting mental illness for many, many years. His depression had turned into psychosis. It was not Jeremy that committed this horrific act. It was a sick mind.”

Authorities say Jeremy Koch, 42, fatally stabbed his wife Bailey, 41, and their sons Hudson, 18, and Asher, 16, before taking his own life inside the family’s Johnson Lake home on Friday. All were found in their beds.

Lane and Peggy, who discovered the scene, described the moment as something that “will haunt me the rest of my life.” They channeled pain into a broader call to action — demanding an overhaul of the nation’s broken mental health system.

“This country’s mental health care is a disaster. A catastrophe. Broken,” the Kugler's wrote, adding, “Far too many diseased minds have nowhere to go.”

Bailey and Jeremy’s story had already drawn attention after Bailey’s heartfelt writing on social media chronicled Jeremy’s yearslong battle with treatment-resistant depression. She detailed multiple suicide attempts, hospital stays and a desperate search for relief through medications and therapy. Her final update, written just two days before their deaths, showed cautious optimism as Jeremy returned home for their eldest son’s graduation.

“She did exactly that,” the Kugler's wrote of her daughter’s mental health advocacy. “She saved people’s lives. But she couldn’t save her own family’s lives.”

The family says Jeremy’s condition, though once stabilized, deteriorated significantly in the past year. The financial strain of being a one-income household, coupled with the exhaustion of continuous care, had taken a toll. They praised Bailey’s efforts to shine light on mental illness through her blog Anchoring Hope for Mental Health, and through a GoFundMe page created in May — Mental Health Awareness Month — to cover medical and business expenses. The GoFundMe page has since been removed.

“She felt so blessed to have so much support,” the Kugler's said. “We talked about how many people’s lives she might have saved. She said, ‘I think I have saved some people’s lives.’”

The Kugler's and extended family say they will continue Bailey’s mission. They’re calling on policymakers, insurance providers and citizens to take real action — to fund mental health care, reduce stigma and ensure help is available before it’s too late.

“Help bring this issue the attention it deserves,” the family urged. “Don’t give up. Bailey didn’t. Right up to her last breath.”