In a heartbreaking tragedy, the peaceful town of Wolcottville, Indiana, was shaken when police discovered the bodies of a young mother and her three little girls inside their home. What began as a routine welfare check quickly turned into a nightmare that left the entire community grieving.
It all happened on September 17, when Wolcottville Police officers were called to a house on South Main Street. Concerned neighbors had raised alarms about the family.
Around 11:20 a.m., officers entered the home and were met with a devastating scene—32-year-old Rebecca Hughes and her three daughters, 8-year-old Evalynn, 6-year-old Allison, and 5-year-old Amelia, were all found lifeless inside.
The discovery was so serious that the Indiana State Police were called in immediately to take over the investigation. Noble County’s coroner later confirmed the victims’ identities.
Autopsies have been done, but the full results—including toxicology tests—are still pending. Police have assured residents that there is no danger to the public, but details remain closely guarded.
For the girls’ father, Jonathan Newell, life has been turned upside down. The loss of his daughters is something he struggles to put into words. Speaking in an emotional interview just days later, Jonathan admitted:
“I had prepared myself to think that she [Rebecca] had ran with the kids. She didn’t show up. She’d done some other stuff that would sort of indicate that she wasn’t going to go along with it.”
Jonathan had been trying desperately to be more involved in his daughters’ lives. He had even gone to court, asking for just one hour of visitation twice a month. Despite working three back-to-back shifts almost every day, he never missed a hearing because seeing his girls meant everything to him.
On the day of the tragedy, Jonathan had just collapsed into bed after working yet another exhausting stretch when his phone rang. It was his mother, panicked and crying. Half-asleep, he tried to calm her down.
“Don’t worry, she’s fine, the kids are fine,” he told her, never imagining the truth was far worse.
But soon, strange posts began to appear on Facebook, and Jonathan knew something wasn’t right. He called the police himself, desperate for answers. The officers refused to share details over the phone, so Jonathan decided he would drive straight to Rebecca’s house.
Before he could even leave, he opened his own front door and found two police officers standing there. In that moment, his world shattered. They told him what had happened—his three daughters were gone.
Speaking through tears later, Jonathan explained how he felt afterward:
“Sometimes you’re mad. Sometimes you’re sad. Other times you’re so dissociated you don’t even feel like you’re there.”
There were moments when he convinced himself the girls were still alive, just staying at their mom’s house. “I would think, if I drive down the road, I’ll see them again.” But then, reality would crash back—his daughters were never coming home.
Jonathan also admitted he carried guilt, constantly replaying “what-ifs” in his head.
“What I get most is the guilt. I feel like there’s a lot that can be blamed on me.”
He wondered if things might have turned out differently if he had been less tired after work, less grumpy, more available. The endless questions now haunted him.
The shocking deaths have left Wolcottville reeling. Outside the Hughes’ home, neighbors and strangers alike have created a touching memorial—stuffed animals, flowers, and handwritten notes lined up against the house.
One woman, Pam Laughlin, who attended the same church as Rebecca and the girls, broke down as she spoke.
“I threw up my breakfast because my heart hurt for these kids,” she said, struggling to finish her words. “I wish it could’ve been me instead of the girls.”
Another neighbor, Greg Williams, still couldn’t believe it. He remembered seeing Rebecca just a few days earlier, mowing the lawn like any normal day.
“The next thing you know, the whole family’s gone,” he said, his voice shaking.
Greg added that he hoped this tragedy would push the community to grow even closer and to watch out for one another. “I just feel sorry for the kids’ dad,” he admitted, thinking of Jonathan’s grief.
In the midst of unbearable pain, Jonathan found himself surrounded by an outpouring of love. When he created a GoFundMe page to raise money for his daughters’ funerals, donations poured in from all over. His $30,000 goal was shattered in just 12 hours. By the next day, the total had already passed $45,000—and the support kept coming.
Jonathan was overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers.
“This is really the last thing I get to do for them,” he explained, tears in his eyes. “People who didn’t even know me or my kids started just giving money and sending messages.”
He later wrote a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who donated:
“Thank you all, this is way more than I could ask. If any of you need help ever, I’m there for you. I want to thank everyone personally. There is a lot I had to do today for the girls. Please don’t be offended if I haven’t got to you yet.”
While grief poured out for the children, one of Rebecca’s close friends, Ashley McAtee, spoke up online, reminding people not to forget Rebecca in the tragedy.
Ashley posted on Facebook:
“Since I’ve not seen one post with Rebecca Hughes’ picture or anyone showing any respect for her being gone as well as her 3 daughters, I’m gonna post a couple I have found.”
She urged the community not to judge too quickly, pointing out that Rebecca had her struggles.
“Rebecca did love her kids, and unfortunately I don’t think anyone was there for her as she was going thru something, mentally and emotionally.”
Ashley described her friend as quiet to strangers but bubbly and funny with those who knew her well. She hoped Rebecca and the girls were at peace together.
For Jonathan, the only way forward now is to turn his pain into purpose. He has begun speaking openly about the importance of mental health, especially for parents.
“If you feel like you’re struggling at all, get help,” he urged in one interview. “You can call me. I’ll answer. We’ll talk it out.”
In another moment, he pleaded directly with parents:
“If you are a parent, and you have kids, and you need help, then get it. Because you don’t know when it’s going to be the last time you can.”
The police investigation is still ongoing, with authorities keeping many details quiet for now. But one thing is clear: the tragic loss of Rebecca Hughes and her three daughters has left a permanent mark on Wolcottville, a community that will never forget the family and the lives cut far too short.