Content warning: This article mentions suicide and contains graphic descriptions of murder. Please take care while reading.
Jeremy Koch, 42, fatally stabbed his wife, Bailey, 41, and their two sons, Hudson, 18, and Asher, 16, before taking his own life on May 10, 2025.
According to reports, the apparent murder-suicide occurred just hours before Hudson’s high school graduation ceremony in Cozad, Nebraska, casting a pall over what should have been a day of celebration. Adding still further tragedy, the family’s struggle with mental health issues had been publicly documented.
“Jeremy’s Battle”
According to multiple reports, shortly before the horrific attack, Bailey, a special education teacher at Holdrege Middle School, launched a GoFundMe campaign titled “Jeremy’s Battle: Mental Health Needed.”
In the now-deleted fundraiser, she detailed Jeremy’s long-standing battle with depression, which began in 2009 and had worsened over time. According to Bailey, Jeremy attempted suicide four times before, once with a semi-truck on the highway, but he survived.
Bailey wrote, “He was left with a leg broken in four places, punctured lung, fractured pancreas, complete colon reconstruction, brain bleed, and…still depression.” She added, “When he awoke, I was in awe and relieved. He was destroyed his attempt hadn’t worked.”
Bailey also recounted a particularly alarming incident in March when she awoke to find Jeremy standing over her with a knife.
“Just a couple months ago,” Bailey wrote, “I woke to Jeremy shaking me awake saying, ‘Something is wrong,’” Bailey Koch wrote. “He was standing over my bed with a knife ready to end his life. I was able to talk him down and into accepting help.”
Following this, Jeremy agreed to seek treatment and underwent a five-day stay at a mental health facility, from which he was discharged just three days before the fatal incident.
“Please just pray Jeremy”
Bailey had expressed cautious optimism about Jeremy’s recovery in a Facebook update on May 8, noting that he had been accepted into a mental health facility and was committed to getting better for the sake of their family. She wrote, “Please just pray Jeremy is able to somehow be with us Saturday for our oldest son’s high school graduation.”
The Koch family was deeply rooted in their community. Jeremy owned a landscaping business, and both he and Bailey were active in local mental health advocacy. In 2014, they started a Facebook page called “Anchoring Hope for Mental Health,” which grew to over 10,000 followers. The page served as a platform for sharing their family’s experiences with mental illness and offered to others facing similar challenges.
Holdrege Public Schools and Cozad Community Schools have offered counseling services to students and staff. During the Cozad High School commencement ceremony, Superintendent Dr. Dan Endorf acknowledged the profound loss, stating, “The bittersweet emotions felt by the senior class on their graduation day, and by this entire gym.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. A list of international crisis resources can be found here.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or if you believe someone you know is being abused, The National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE or spoken with online via the hotline’s website. Mobile phone owners can also text “START” to the number 88788
Published: May 12, 2025 12:42 pm