On September 17, after conducting to a welfare check at their house, police in Wolcottville, Indiana, found the bodies of Rebecca Hughes, 32, and her three daughters, Evalynn, 8, Allison, 6, and Amelia, 5. The autopsy findings are still waiting, and the Indiana State Police is currently leading the investigation. The cause of death has not yet been determined. The public has been told by authorities that there isn’t an urgent threat.
The daughters’ father, Jonathan Newell, spoke candidly about the heartbreaking loss. When he first heard the news, he dismissed his mother’s worries, describing his shock. Jonathan assured her, “Don’t worry, she’s fine, the kids are fine,” only to discover later that his daughters had vanished. “You’re mad sometimes,” he clarified. You feel depressed occasionally. At times, you may not even feel like you’re there because of your extreme dissociation.
Through a GoFundMe campaign, the community has come together in support of Jonathan, contributing almost $45,000 for his burial costs. Touched by the outpouring of love from strangers, Jonathan remarked, “This is really the last thing I get to do for them.”
Jonathan has decided to utilize the tragedy to spread awareness about mental health and encourage parents to get treatment when they need it, even as the community grieves. In an interview, he said, “If you are a parent and you have kids, and you need help, then get it,” in an attempt to stop similar tragedies in the future.
