West Haven deaths of a mother, her three children ruled murder-suicide, police say

Sep 5, 2024, 12:13 PM | Updated: Sep 7, 2024, 5:50 pm

KSLTV.com

UPDATE (5:47 p.m. Sept 7) : A *GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family with medical expenses.

*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

UPDATE (11:51 a.m. Sept. 6): Police said in a press release Friday that the death of the mother and her children was ruled a murder-suicide, based on the evidence found at the scene. Lt. Terance Lavely identified the mother as Maribel Ibarra, 32. The sheriff’s office said it would not release the names of her three children.

Arbon said Ibarra and her three children’s cause of death was confirmed to be by gunshot wound by the medical examiner. Nobody else was involved in the shooting.

“The evidence indicates that Maribel shot her three children in the rear cargo area of her vehicle before turning the gun on herself,” Arbon said. “Our condolences go out to the family of the deceased. Our hearts also go out to the Weber County deputies, Roy police officers, CSI, and detectives who responded to the horrific scene and continue to work this ongoing investigation.”

Ibarra’s family issued the following statement Friday:

With deep sorrow in our hearts, we want to express the following words. We are going through an extremely difficult time, with a pain in our hearts that cannot be explained in words due to the invaluable loss we have suffered, because they were the light of our lives. As a family, we unfortunately knew nothing about her mental health. We always saw her as a loving mother, which makes this so shocking for us. We do not know the exact reasons why this tragedy happened, and we deeply regret it. This pain is something we wish no one would ever have to go through. Therefore, we urge all those going through difficult times to seek help; please never hide your pain. Speak out and trust that you can overcome any situation. As we mentioned, our pain is beyond words, and as a family, we are trying to get through this, even though we honestly do not know exactly how to cope with it. This is why we ask you to please respect our grief, so that in this way you can help us begin to heal, little by little, even though right now it seems unattainable. We trust that God and the outpouring of love from the community will keep us strong and guide us to a path where we may one day find peace. We are grateful for the support and prayers of the entire community.

Woman, three children found dead with gunshot wounds in West Haven

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or exhibiting warning signs, call, text, or chat the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 which is answered 24/7/365 by crisis counselors at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute. All calls to legacy crisis hotlines, including the old National Suicide Prevention hotline, 1-800-273-8255, will also connect to a crisis care worker at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute as well.

Additional resources

SafeUT: Parents, students, and educators can connect with a licensed crisis counselor through chat by downloading the SafeUT app or by calling 833-3SAFEUT (833-372-3388)
SafeUT Frontline: First responders, including firefighters, law enforcement, EMS, and healthcare professionals can chat with a licensed crisis counselor at no cost 24/7/365 by downloading the SafeUT Frontline app.
SafeUTNG: Members of the National Guard can chat with a licensed crisis counselor at no cost 24/7/365 by downloading the SafeUTNG app.
Utah Warm Line: For non-crisis situations, when you need a listening ear as you heal and recover from a personal struggle, call 1-833 SPEAKUT 8:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m., 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
The Huntsman Mental Health Institute offers a wide variety of programs and services including suicide prevention and crisis services, hospital treatment, therapy & medication management, substance Use & addiction recovery, child & teen programs, and maternal mental health services including birth trauma, pregnancy loss, infertility, and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
LiveOnUtah.org is a statewide effort to prevent suicide by promoting education, providing resources, and changing Utah’s culture around suicide and mental health. They offer resources for faith based groups, LGBTQ+, youth, employers, firearm suicide prevention, and crisis and treatment options.

Counties in Utah provide services for mental health and substance use disorders. Centers are run by the thirteen Local Mental Health and Substance Use Authorities all across the state and offer therapy, substance use disorder treatment, support groups, mobile services, youth treatment, and more.

These resources and more information can be found here: https://www.uacnet.org/behavioralhealth.

Other community-based resources

NAMI Utah provides education, support and advocacy for individuals and families impacted by mental illness.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention offers prevention programs, public education, support for loss survivors, and fundraising for research.
Encircle Utah: LGBTQ+ family and youth resource center.
Utah Pride Center empowers Utah’s diverse LGBTQ+ community.
The Trevor Project: LGBTQ teen resource center.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health
Latino Behavioral Health Services
Center for Workplace Mental Health offers suicide prevention and response for employers.

UPDATE (4:31 p.m. Sept. 5): Few details were available Thursday, but the Weber County Sheriff’s Office announced it’s holding a press conference on Friday at 11:30 a.m. to release more information.

Authorities tell KSL TV they will release everything they can at that point.

KSL TV has contacted the victim’s brother, Christian. He did not want his last name revealed yet, nor did he want to talk on camera. He did say that his sister left late Sunday night and early Monday morning, but he didn’t know when she came back.

The deaths were reported Tuesday night. Christian said his other brother found them.

He described his sister as a kind, caring mom. He said her children were her whole life, and they always have fun with her.

Christian said the family does not see her taking her kids’ lives or her own but that they still don’t know what happened, and it’s all still being investigated.

Read original story below

WEST HAVEN, Weber County — A Utah community was left baffled and in grief after four bodies were found in an SUV parked in the driveway of a Weber County home Tuesday. Neighbors and family have been trying to make sense of what the victims might have been going through at the time of their deaths as authorities investigate.

The victims, a 32-year-old mother and her young children according to neighbors, were found with gunshot wounds inside an SUV in the driveway of a house, just before 10 p.m. After hours of searching and testing evidence, Lt. Terance Lavely concluded Wednesday night that there was “not a suspect or person of interest, nor do we believe anyone else was involved in the incident.”

The sheriff’s office has not confirmed beyond that what happened to the victims but said it is waiting on the medical examiner’s office to confirm their cause of death and release any more information.

According to neighbors, the woman moved into the house with her father recently after his wife of 50 years also died.

“We feel for the family, we hope that they’re doing OK. They’ve had, I don’t know, five losses in one year,” said neighbor Taira Jacobson. “So that’s really hard and just can’t imagine what they’re going through.”

Utah social worker recommends open, honest conversations to process recent tragedies

The family of the woman and the family of the children’s father spoke with KSL TV, but were too rattled to speak on camera or formally interview. They did say however both sides of the family had spent the day Wednesday in endless tears, and were devastated.

Despite the loss of the family matriarch, neighbors said the family gathered regularly and seemed very happy.

“They would usually gather on Sunday night for dinner. She would come over, she’d bring food over — whatever they were cooking. Just a sweet family,” said neighbor Darren King.

Another neighbor, Laura Watkins, said it was unusual over the holiday weekend because she didn’t see the family gather for Labor Day.

“It’s kind of ironic that we didn’t see any gatherings over the holiday weekend because they normally have big family barbecues and things like that,” Watkins said. “They’re always outside.”

Over 24 hours after the bodies were found, the timeline of events was still unclear as of Thursday morning. Based on nearby camera footage showing the SUV and other cars coming and going from the home between Monday afternoon and Tuesday evening, police are still unclear as to when and where the shots were fired.

In their latest update, police were unable to confirm who owned the home or how anyone involved with the incident might have been related, including the victims.

More questions remain, but in the meantime, community members have offered their support and stopped by the home to leave flowers, letters and stuffed animals for the family.