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USA Today
12-05-2025
- USA Today
'Heartbreaking': Family of 4 found dead before son's graduation in apparent murder-suicide
'Heartbreaking': Family of 4 found dead before son's graduation in apparent murder-suicide Show Caption Hide Caption Mental health: 9-8-8 set to become national crisis hotline An easy-to-remember three-digit number aims to transform the nation's approach to crisis care by providing mental healthcare emergency service. Claire Hardwick, USA TODAY This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at Authorities in Nebraska are investigating what state troopers are calling a "heartbreaking" weekend murder-suicide after a couple and their two teenage sons were found slain inside the family's home. Among those who were found dead were Jeremy Koch, 42, his wife, Bailey Koch, 41, who jointly ran a social media page documenting their journey with mental health struggles. Troopers said the couple's two sons, Hudson, 18, and Asher, 16, were killed. The Dawson County Sheriff's Office responded to a home near Johnson Lake and found the four residents dead at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, May 10, according to the Nebraska State Patrol. The home is in the central part of the state about 70 miles west of Lincoln, the state capital. After a preliminary investigation, authorities determined the father fatally stabbed his sons and wife before killing himself. A knife was found at the scene, troopers wrote. The official causes of death for each family member were pending autopsy results, troopers wrote in the Saturday release. USA TODAY has reached out to Dawson County Attorney Darlene Shafer, the prosecutor who troopers said ordered the autopsies, as well as Dawson County Sheriff Mark Montgomery, whose agency is assisting troopers with the case. Community grieves deaths According to local media outlet and Bailey Koch's Facebook page, she taught special education at Holdrege Public Schools. "Our hearts are with everyone impacted (by) a tragic event that has deeply affected us all," the district posted in a statement on Facebook. Throngs of people responded to the post offering condolences to the family. "They were amazing people," said Leticia Gleason, who told USA TODAY she attended high school with Bailey Koch. Gleason called the teen Koch brothers "two beautiful boys" and their mother "the sweetest person... She most definitely had the ability to see the positive in any situation, which kept her going. She was truly one in a million, a star that shone brighter than most." The couple's teen sons attended Cozad High School where loved ones said the eldest brother was prepared to graduate Saturday. Footage of the school's commencement ceremony was posted on YouTube in which Superintendent Dan Endorf told the audience the senior class "experienced a tragedy within the past few hours." "The bittersweet emotions felt by the senior class on their graduation day, and by this entire gymnasium for that matter, cannot be concealed in this moment," Endorf said. My mom died by suicide. How I learned to talk about it. Couple's mental health journey was documented on Facebook Bailey and Jeremy Koch were the focus of a social media page documenting their journey with mental health struggles. The page, which had amassed more than 23,000 followers by May 12, had most recently shown Jeremy Koch seeking treatment for mental health. "High school sweethearts now together over 25 years, our love story consists of fighting suicidal thoughts and attempts publicly so you know you're not alone," the Anchoring Hope for Mental Health: Jeremy & Bailey Koch Facebook page reads. "We fight with you. And our God is stronger than this battle." Bailey's father, Lane Kugler, who said he found the family dead in their beds, told USA TODAY his son-and-law had struggled with his mental health for most of his life. "I am so angry. And you should be too," Kugler, of Lexington, Nebraska, wrote in a lengthy Facebook post on Sunday. Kugler said his son-in-law fought "mental illness for many, many years." "Bailey fought so hard to help him and she and her sons lived in fear of the possibility of losing her husband and their father to mental illness," the post continues. "They never knew when he would be in a manic state (super high) or horribly depressed (super low), unable to function normally." Kugler told USA TODAY on May 12 he wrote the lengthy post on Facebook "in hopes of trying to get people fired up about the broken metal health care crisis." Mental health school visit: Cowboys' Dak Prescott talks suicide prevention 'More need to know they're not alone' A May 8 post on her personal Facebook page included a photo of Bailey Koch sitting at her husband's hospital bedside. "Whether my husband lives with mental health or dies by mental illness, we will never be quiet," she wrote. "More need to know they're not alone." In a subsequent May 9 post, the day before the family was found dead, Bailey Koch wrote paperwork to approve treatments for her husband's "mental health battle will be submitted today." "Please pray for insurance approval and that we can get started ASAP," she wrote. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
USA Today
27-01-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Tax season opens! Do you have to file taxes? Why you may want to even if you don't.
Tax season opens! Do you have to file taxes? Why you may want to even if you don't. Show Caption Hide Caption Here's what to know as you prepare to file your 2023 taxes There are a couple of changes for the 2023 tax season. Here's what's changed and what you should know as you prepare to file your taxes. Claire Hardwick, USA TODAY Not everyone is required to file taxes, but most Americans must and likely will submit a return. Some will even do so today, the first day the IRS is accepting and processing returns this tax season. Then, there are those who don't have to file taxes but may want to anyway. Certain benefits can come from filing taxes, believe it or not. You can claim tax credits and overpayments that could result in money being returned to you. Of the 176.2 million individuals and married couples who could file a return in 2020, about 144.5 million of them did, according to the nonpartisan Washington think tank the Tax Policy Center. Whether you need to file usually depends mostly on your income, filing status and age. In special situations, you may have to file regardless of your income. If you have net earnings of at least $400 from self-employment, for example, you're required to file taxes. If you earn at least that much, you pay self-employment tax. Confused? We'll explain it all so you can stay within the law or benefit. Important things: When does tax filing season start? Here's when the IRS will start processing returns What is the minimum income to file taxes in 2025? To determine if you're one of the millions who have to file a return, start with three things: Your gross income – total income before taxes and adjustments – and your age and filing status. Filing status means whether you're single; married filing jointly or separately; head of household; or a widow(er). Depending on your age and filing status, the IRS has minimum income thresholds that determine whether you must file a tax return. Here are the breakdowns: Single filing status: ◾ $14,600 if younger than 65. ◾ $16,550 if 65 or older. Married filing jointly: ◾ $29,200 if both spouses are younger than 65. ◾ $30,750 if one spouse is younger than 65 and one is 65 or older. ◾ $32,300 if both spouses are 65 or older. Married filing separately: ◾ $5 for all ages. Head of household: ◾ $21,900 if younger than 65. ◾ $23,850 if 65 or older. Qualifying widow(er) with dependent child: ◾ $29,200 if younger than 65. ◾ $30,750 if 65 or older. If you to file: Is it better to pay someone to do your taxes or do them yourself? We'll help you decide. Stay focused: Mark your calendars! 2025 tax season opens Jan. 27, but you can start filing now People with 'special situations' may have to file a tax return regardless of income. Some of these situations include: 1. You owe any special taxes, such as: ◾ Alternative minimum tax, which is generally for very high-income taxpayers. ◾ Additional tax on a qualified plan, including an individual retirement account (IRA), or another tax-favored account. ◾ Social Security or Medicare tax on tips you didn't report to your employer, or on wages you received from an employer who didn't withhold these taxes. ◾ Uncollected Social Security, Medicare, or railroad retirement tax on tips you reported to your employer; or on group-term life insurance and additional taxes on health savings accounts. ◾ Household employment taxes. ◾ Recapture taxes, which means paying back the federal government for the benefits of using tax-exempt mortgage bonds for financing. 2. You (or your spouse, if filing jointly) bought health insurance from a state or federal marketplace or received health savings account distributions. 3. You had net earnings from self-employment of at least $400. 4. You had wages of $108.28 or more from a church or qualified church-controlled organization that's exempt from employer Social Security and Medicare taxes. Note: If you can be claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return, your tax filing requirements are different. If you're still stumped, use the IRS' interactive tool to help you determine if you need to file a tax return. Should I file a tax return even if I'm not required to? If you think you can get money back, yes. Consider filing if any of the following apply: ◾ You had income tax withheld from your paycheck. You can get a refund of that amount. ◾ You overpaid. For example, if you made estimated tax payments or had any of your overpayment for last year applied to this year's estimated tax, you might be due money back. ◾ Earned income tax credit. You may qualify for this refundable credit, meaning even if you do not owe taxes, you can still get a refund. Lower-income workers may be eligible for a credit of $632 to $7,830, depending on income and number of children, but you don't need to have children to be eligible. The average EITC amount last year among 23 million who claimed the credit was $2,743. ◾ Additional child tax credit. If you qualify, you can receive up to $1,700 of the $2,000 child tax credit per child as a refund. ◾ American opportunity credit. If you qualify for this tax credit to help pay for post-high school education expenses, you can get a maximum annual credit of $2,500 per eligible student and 40%, or $1,000, could be refunded if you owe no tax. ◾ Premium tax credit. If you qualify, you can get a refund on this credit that helps eligible individuals and families cover the premiums for their health insurance purchased through the health insurance marketplace. Even if you don't have a refund due, the IRS recommends filing a tax return if you received a 1099-B, which has information about securities or property involved in a transaction handled by a broker, to avoid getting a notice from the agency. Medora Lee is a money, markets and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@ and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday morning.
