WEST HAVEN, Utah — Friends of the West Haven mother who killed herself and her three children earlier this week said she was "overwhelmed by the hopelessness."
On a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for funeral expenses, friends said they were unaware that Maribel Ibarra was "struggling," and had seen no signs of depression before she took her own life and those of her young children.
On Tuesday, a family member found Ibarra and the three children, ages 4, 2 and 1, inside a vehicle parked outside the West Haven home. Days later, the Weber County Sheriff's Office ruled the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide.
"Although incomprehensible, this final act was not the definition of her life," a friend wrote on the page. "She radiated grace and kindness; she was a bright, happy, and beautiful person as well as a very loving mother."
The sentiment shared by friends about Ibarra echoed similar comments made to FOX 13 News by her brother, Christian, who said his sister was a caring and genuine mother.
Investigators are unable to say exactly when the shots were fired but believe it happened sometime Sunday night into Monday morning.
The GoFundMe shared the names of Ibarra's one boy and two girls: Jordan, Yaitza, and Alitzel.
"Like many people around the world, unfortunately Maribel Ibarra was overwhelmed by the hopelessness in which people with depression are immersed, which led her to take actions that we deeply regret," the page read.
Sharing that the "grief, trauma, and pain the family is experiencing is unbearable," the page asks for donations to help pay for funeral expenses for Ibarra and the children, as well as therapy to help remaining family cope with the loss.
"Mental illness can be hidden so well. If you or a loved one are suffering, please seek help," the page said. "You are not alone; don’t hide your pain."
