The quiet town of Wolcottville, Indiana, has been left reeling after an unthinkable tragedy. On September 17th, a routine welfare call to a home on South Main Street ended with the devastating discovery of 32-year-old Rebecca Hughes and her three young daughters—Allison, 6, Evalynn, 8, and Amelia, 5—all deceased inside. The news has sent waves of sorrow through the close-knit community, leaving neighbors, friends, and family struggling to comprehend the loss. As the Indiana State Police continue their investigation, awaiting toxicology reports to determine the official cause of death, the girls’ father, Jonathan Newell, is speaking out about his profound grief and the memories of his beloved children.
In the days leading up to the tragedy, Jonathan had been preparing himself for a different kind of bad news. He confessed that he had braced himself for the possibility that Rebecca had left town with the girls, a fear based on her recent behavior. He had been working a demanding schedule of three shifts a day, all while faithfully attending court appearances to secure limited visitation rights—just one hour, twice a month—to spend precious time with his daughters. On that terrible day, he had just fallen asleep after an exhausting third shift when his mother’s frantic phone call woke him. He tried to calm her, assuring her that the kids and their mother were surely fine. It wasn’t until he saw a flood of alarming posts on social media that a deep sense of dread took hold.
He immediately called the police for information, but they were unable to disclose any details. Driven by a desperate need for answers, he decided to drive to Rebecca’s house himself, consequences be damned. But as he opened his own front door to leave, he found two police officers waiting for him. It was in that moment, standing in his own doorway, that he learned the horrific truth. Jonathan describes the grief that followed as a whirlwind of unbearable emotions. There are moments of sheer anger, he says, and depths of depression so dark he can barely function. At times, he feels completely detached from reality, his mind tricking him into believing he can just drive down the road to see them, only for the crushing reality to return.
Alongside the sorrow, Jonathan is wrestling with immense guilt, a feeling that he could have done more. He replays different scenarios in his head, wondering if a different choice, a different word, or a less exhausting work schedule could have changed the outcome. The community of Wolcottville has wrapped its arms around him in his darkest hour. An impromptu memorial of stuffed animals, flowers, and heartfelt notes has grown outside the family’s home. The grief is palpable among those who knew the family. One church member, Pam Laughlin, became physically ill upon hearing the news, her heart aching so deeply she wished she could have taken the girls’ place. She and others remember the three sisters as incredibly sweet and compassionate children.
The shock has reverberated through the neighborhood. A neighbor, Greg Williams, recalled seeing Rebecca mowing her lawn just days before, a completely ordinary moment that makes the tragedy feel all the more surreal and devastating. He expressed his deepest sympathy for Jonathan, acknowledging the unimaginable pain he must be enduring. In a remarkable show of support, the community has rallied behind Jonathan financially. He started a GoFundMe to cover funeral costs for his daughters, describing it as the last thing he would ever get to do for them. The response was overwhelming, surpassing its $30,000 goal in just 12 hours and continuing to grow, a testament to the love people feel for these three young lives.
Amid the mourning for the children, a friend of Rebecca’s, Ashley McAtee, has asked for compassion, reminding the public that Rebecca was a complex human being who loved her children and may have been fighting silent battles. She described Rebecca as quiet with strangers but funny and bubbly with friends, a devoted mother who may have needed more support than anyone realized. Jonathan has decided to channel his family’s tragedy into a force for good. He has vowed to become an advocate for mental health awareness, especially for parents and children, urging anyone who is struggling to reach out for help immediately, before it’s too late. As the police investigation continues quietly in the background, a community and a father are left to pick up the pieces, forever changed by the three young sisters they lost.
