A mother who shot her three young children to death in a car outside their home before turning the gun on herself called her children “her life” in a chilling Facebook post.
The body of Maribel Isela Ibarra, 32, was found Tuesday night in West Haven, Utah, along with the remains of her 4-year-old son and two daughters, ages 1 and 2.
Police confirmed at a press conference on Friday that it was a murder-suicide committed by Ibarra, after reviewing CCTV footage from neighbors.
Ibarra committed the unthinkable crime on the night of Sunday to Monday and their bodies were only found when their family called 911 at 9:47 p.m. on Tuesday night.
The stunned family said they had no idea Ibarra was struggling with her mental health and that there were no signs she was anything other than a “loving mother.”
Maribel Isela Ibarra, 32, shot dead her 4-year-old son and her two daughters, ages 2 and 1, before turning the gun on herself in a car outside their home
The murderous mother came from a large family (pictured in 2020), with at least nine nieces and nephews (the youngest were not yet born)
Ibarra on the beach with her two eldest children in one of two photos left on her social media
Her Facebook bio even read, “mis hijos son mi vida” in Spanish, which roughly translates to “my children are my life.”
Photos show Ibarra taking her children to the beach to meet Santa Claus, and posing with her son on a rhinoceros statue.
But she was clearly shocked by the death of her mother Elvia Ibarra on April 1, at the age of 69, and changed her Facebook profile picture to a black mourning ribbon.
Ibarra also changed her name on social media to “Jya Canchola” some time before the murder-suicide, the meaning of which is unclear.
After her mother’s death, she moved in with her father, Jose Ibarra, who had been married to Elvia for over 50 years. It appeared that they had separated.
Ibarra had four brothers (pictured from left to right, Angel, Jason, Christian and Julio, together with their parents Jose and Elvia)
Ibarra was clearly shocked by the death of her mother Elvia Ibarra on April 1, at the age of 69 (pictured with Ibarra’s murdered children)
Photos showed Ibarra taking her children to the beach to meet Santa Claus, posing with her son on a rhinoceros statue
Ibarra in another family photo at her brother Jason’s graduation ceremony
The murderous mother came from a large family with roots in Mexico and had four brothers named Jason, Julio, Christian and Angel, and at least nine nieces and nephews.
Jason is a local real estate agent and father of five daughters, Julio is a father of four, and Angel is a biochemical engineer at the University of Utah.
“We are going through an incredibly difficult time, with a pain in our hearts that cannot be expressed in words. It is a tremendous loss that we have suffered, as they were the light of our lives,” the family said in a statement.
‘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 exactly why this tragedy occurred, and we deeply regret it. This pain is something we never wish on anyone.”
Friends, family and neighbors laid flowers and stuffed animals on the steps of the memorial
A child’s bicycle was on the front lawn of the house
Ibarra (left) with her mother and other family members
The family urged anyone struggling to seek help instead of hiding the pain until it was too late.
“Speak out and trust that you can overcome any situation. As we said, our pain is indescribable and as a family we are trying to get through this, even though we honestly don’t know exactly how to deal with it,” they said.
‘We therefore ask you to respect our grief, so that you can help us in this way to heal little by little, even if this still seems impossible now.
We trust that God and the overwhelming love of the community will keep us strong and guide us onto a path where we can one day find peace.
“We are grateful for the support and prayers of the entire community.”
Ibarra committed the unthinkable crime on Sunday night and their bodies were not found until their family called 911 at 9:47 p.m. on Tuesday.
Two white SUVs were parked in front of the house and it was unclear which one Ibarra and her children found in the rear storage area of the home.
Weber County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Terance Lavely said the children’s father has been questioned and police are confident no one else is involved.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to answer that question. Maribel would be the one who could answer that and of course we can’t ask her,” he said.
Two white SUVs were parked in front of the house. After police investigated, it was unclear which of the two Ibarra and her children found in the storage room at the back of the house.
A toy bicycle stood on the front lawn and friends, family and neighbours had laid flowers and stuffed animals on the steps as a memorial.
“These types of cases are very hard on everyone involved and on the community as well,” said Lt. Colby Ryan.
“When little children die like this, it’s very difficult for our officers, our deputies, our CSIs, the homicide squad, the neighbors.”
