West Haven woman and children died as a result of murder-suicide, Weber County Sheriff’s Office says | News, Sports, Jobs

OGDEN – A woman and three children found dead Tuesday in a vehicle at a West Haven residence – near 1800 S. Prevedel Drive – died by murder-suicide, the Weber County Sheriff’s Office said.

Lt. Terance Lavely of the Weber County Sheriff’s Office announced the initial results of the authorities’ investigation into the deaths at a press conference on Friday morning.

Lavely identified the woman as 32-year-old Maribel Ibarra and noted that the three children – a boy and two girls, ages 4, 2 and 1 – were her own.

The sheriff’s office will not release the names of the child victims.

Investigators believe all four people died from gunshot wounds. Lavely said evidence from the vehicle where Ibarra and her children were found led to the determination of murder or suicide.

“The evidence suggests that Maribel shot her three children in the rear cargo area of ​​her vehicle before turning the gun on herself,” he said.

Investigators have not found any note. The children’s father was questioned by detectives as part of the investigation, which, according to Lavely, is still ongoing.

The fatal shots are believed to have been fired sometime late Sunday night/early Monday morning, Lavely said, adding that video footage from doorbell surveillance cameras and witness statements were also being used to determine the timeline of events and the nature of the deaths.

“(Ibarra) recently moved out of the house – last year – it was her parents’ house,” neighbor Darren King told the Standard-Examiner on Wednesday. “She moved back home about a month ago and took the kids home with her.”

Lavely conveyed his department’s condolences to the family, several members of which attended the press conference. He also acknowledged the stress that such cases can place on those charged with investigating them.

“This is the second horrific child death for our agency in as many months and the 11th child death our CSI has worked on this year,” said Lavely. “We are aware of the psychological and emotional toll this places on our people and are actively offering them assistance.”

The family members present did not answer any questions but provided a written statement.

“We are going through an extremely difficult time and carry a pain in our hearts that cannot be expressed in words due to the inestimable loss we have suffered, for they were the light of our lives,” the statement said.

“As a family, we unfortunately knew nothing about her mental state. We have always seen her as a loving mother, which is why this is so shocking to us. We do not know the exact reasons for this tragedy and we deeply regret it. We wish that no one ever has to go through this pain.”

In addition, the family urged anyone going through difficult times to seek help and not hide their pain.

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