Utah mother killed 3 young children, then herself

OGDEN, Utah (KSL.com) — The deaths of a West Haven mother and her three young children found inside a car earlier this week in West Haven were the result of a murder-suicide, investigators said Friday.

“The evidence indicates that Maribel Ibarra shot her three children in the rear cargo area of her vehicle before turning the gun on herself,” Weber County Sheriff’s Lt. Terance Lavely announced at a press conference.

The bodies of Ibarra, 32, and her three children — two boys and a girl, ages 4, 2 and 1 — were discovered Tuesday night. But Lavely says detectives believe the shootings took place sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning.

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Emergency dispatchers received a call at 9:47 p.m. on Tuesday from someone who said they found four of their family members deceased at the home at 1747 S. Prevedel Drive in West Haven.

Although police are not looking for additional people in what Lavely described as a “tragic incident,” the investigation is continuing — in hopes of figuring out why it happened. Lavely admitted Friday it’s a question to which detectives may never get an answer.

A memorial has appeared on the stoop of the house where the killings took place, with stuffed animals, flowers and candles lining the concrete steps. Chalk drawings from the children can still be seen on the driveway, visible to anyone driving into the neighborhood — a recent development of houses flanked by pastureland, industrial sites and the West Haven cemetery.

At Friday’s press conference, members of Ibarra’s family provided a written statement, in Spanish, to reporters referencing the “deep sorrow” they have in their hearts.

“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,” the family’s statement says. “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.”

They urge others going through “difficult times” to seek help and “never hide your pain.”

“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,” the family said.

The sheriff’s office declined to release the names of the three children who were killed.