Off The Record
Three Young Sisters from Indiana Discovered Dead at Home. Heartbroken Father Speaks Up
Police found the remains of three little sisters and their mother in their Wolcottville home in a tragic turn of events. Jonathan Newell, the kids’ father, spoke up about the tragic event, but the police are still looking into it.
Concerns regarding the residents prompted Wolcottville Police Department officers to send officers for a welfare check to a house on South Main Street on September 17.
Officers arrived at around 11:20 a.m. and discovered a disturbing find. Inside the house, they discovered the dead bodies of a woman and three small children.
The authorities immediately contacted the Indiana State Police to take control of the investigation. According to the Noble County Coroner, the residents were Rebecca Hughes, 32, and her three daughters, Amelia Newell, 5, Evalynn Newell, 8, and Allison Newell, 6.
Toxicology reports and autopsies were performed to ascertain the cause of death; as of the most recent update, the results are still waiting.
Although the investigation’s specifics are still being worked out, police have stated that there is no immediate threat to the public.
The community is shocked and heartbroken because the authorities have not yet disclosed the details that led to the terrible deaths. Jonathan Newell, the girls’ father, revealed his thoughts on the tragic event in the interim.
In an interview, Jonathan recalled the time before he learned about his girls’ tragic deaths. He said, “I had prepared myself to think that she [Rebecca] had run with the kids. She didn’t show up. She’d done some other stuff that would sort of indicate that she wasn’t going to go along with it. [sic]”
Jonathan disclosed that in order to spend more time with his daughters, he had asked for one-hour visits twice a month. He worked a tough schedule—three shifts a day—and he dutifully attended court appearances.
After a demanding workday, Jonathan was worn out on the day of the devastating discovery. After his third shift, he had just fallen asleep when he was startled awake by his mother’s desperate call.
Despite her obvious distress, Jonathan tried to reassure her, saying, “Don’t worry, she’s fine, the kids are fine.”
Jonathan didn’t know something was really wrong until he saw a flurry of alarming posts on Facebook.
Jonathan was so concerned that he called the police right away to get information, but they wouldn’t provide it to him. At that point, he made the decision—disregarding the repercussions—to go to Rebecca’s house in order to learn the truth.
Jonathan was going to walk out when he opened his front door and saw two police officers waiting for him. He discovered the tragic truth of what had transpired to his cherished girls at that precise moment.
Jonathan didn’t hold back when asked about his emotions following the incident, revealing his true thoughts of loss.
“Sometimes you’re mad. Sometimes you’re sad. Other times you’re so dissociated you don’t even feel like you’re there,” he confessed during an interview.
It frequently felt like the kids were at their mother’s house and he could see them by simply driving down the road, according to Jonathan, who detailed the bizarre moments when reality seemed to fade away.
Then, though, the hard reality would set in. His daughters had passed away.
The grieving father battled emotions of guilt for his personal loss even as he expressed deep sorrow for his kids. He considered it selfish to be depressed when missing his children because it was a “me emotion.”
“What I get most is the guilt,” he added. “I feel like there’s a lot that can be blamed on me.”
He couldn’t help but wonder if he had chosen differently, whether things could have turned out differently. Various scenarios ran through his head, making him believe that if he hadn’t been exhausted and grumpy after getting back from work, everything would have turned out differently. Now the never-ending “what-ifs” plagued him.
Rebecca Hughes and her three young girls passed away tragically, and the close-knit town of Wolcottville is still in shock.
Residents have spontaneously formed an impromptu monument outside the family’s house, placing plush animals, flowers, and poignant inscriptions to memorialize the lives lost in a moving show of grief and support.
Speaking about the girls, Pam Laughlin, a member who went to the same church as Rebecca and her kids, found it difficult to control her feelings.
“I threw up my breakfast because my heart hurt for these kids,” she said, her voice breaking mid-sentence.
“I wish it could’ve been me instead of the girls,” she said.
Laughlin recollected the three sisters as incredibly kind children, a description that many people who knew them agreed with.
Greg Williams, another neighbor, expressed his shock at the unexpected loss. He remembered seeing Rebecca tending the grass the Friday before she passed away. He didn’t know what was going to happen a few days later, so he merely gave her a quick glance and moved on.
“The next thing you know, the whole family’s gone,” he recounted, still visibly shaken.
Williams expressed the hope that this tragedy would strengthen the bonds among their close-knit community and increase understanding of one another’s hardships.
“I just feel sorry for the kids’ dad,” he added, acknowledging the immense pain Jonathan Newell must be experiencing.
The community has come together remarkably for Jonathan in the wake of this devastating tragedy. The response was amazing when he created a GoFundMe campaign to give his girls the proper funeral.
“This is really the last thing I get to do for them,” Jonathan said while talking about the online fundraiser.
Within 12 hours of the page’s creation, donations had surpassed the original goal of $30,000. As of the most recent update, contributions have over $45,000, and individuals are still willing to help.
The outpouring of generosity left Jonathan in tears. “People who didn’t even know me or my kids started just giving money and sending messages,” he said, visibly moved by the community’s response.
Jonathan wrote a sincere letter to everyone who donated, eager to thank everyone for their generosity:
“Thank you all, this is way more than I could ask. If any of you need help ever, I’m there for you. I want to thank everyone personally. There is a lot I had to do today for the girls. Please don’t be offended if I haven’t got to you yet. [sic]”
Rebecca’s friend Ashley McAtee used Facebook to remind the public of Rebecca’s humanity and struggles amid the outpouring of grief for the children.
In a moving post, Ashley said, “Since I’ve not seen one post with Rebecca Hughes or anyone showing any respect for her being gone as well as her 3 daughters, I’m going to post a couple I have found.”
Ashley urged people not to draw hasty conclusions, stressing the complexity of the situation. “It’s a tragic situation, and no one knows exactly why or what was going on in detail,” she stated.
She portrayed Rebecca as a devoted mother who might have been going through personal difficulties and needed more help. “Rebecca did love her kids, and unfortunately I don’t think anyone was there for her as she was going through something, mentally and emotionally [sic].”
Ashley recalled Rebecca as “quiet and shy” with strangers but “so funny and bubbly” around friends. She wished her friend was now at peace and mentioned that Rebecca and the girls were cherished.
Jonathan Newell has made the decision to utilize this tragic event as a springboard to promote mental health awareness, especially for moms and kids. He sees it as a means of paying tribute to his girls’ memories and possibly averting such tragedies in the future.
“If you feel like you’re struggling at all, get help,” Jonathan urged viewers during his interview. “You can call me. I’ll answer. We’ll talk it out.”
In another interview, Jonathan pleaded, “If you are a parent, and you have kids, and you need help, then get it. Because you don’t know when it’s going to be the last time you can.”
The police officers are still investigating while the community continues to support Jonathan and deals with the tragedy. The cause of the deaths has not yet been disclosed by the authorities.
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