Authorities in southwestern Oregon are investigating what they believe to be a murder-suicide that left five people dead — a woman, her three children, and the man police say killed them before taking his own life.
On Monday morning, Aug. 11, sheriff’s deputies in Josephine County went to check on 42-year-old Hannah Marie Behee after she failed to show up for work, something friends and colleagues described as completely out of character. The Oregon State Police said officers found “suspicious conditions” outside her home on Hussey Lane in Pickett Creek, near Grants Pass. When deputies entered, they discovered the bodies of Hannah, her partner, 40-year-old Chad Behee, and three children: two boys, ages 11 and 9, and a 7-year-old girl.
Investigators believe Chad shot Hannah and the children before turning the gun on himself. The state police did not publicly describe the relationship between Chad and the children, but property records show the couple co-owned the home. A cousin of Hannah’s later confirmed the three children were hers.
The killings have left the small community stunned. Michael Nadey, Hannah’s cousin, started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral costs, writing that the family is in “deep sorrow” and describing Hannah as “a loving mother” whose children were “full of life and promise.”
Friends say Hannah was known for her kindness and her devotion to her children. “She really is one of the nicest people and I couldn’t imagine a world where someone would even want to cause her harm, and not only her but her babies,” said Katrina Sewell, a close friend who met Hannah in college. “I immediately looked at my child and just grabbed her and hugged her and I just started sobbing.”
Sewell recalled how the two played softball together and even talked about homeschooling their children. She said she never met Chad but had met the kids, who reminded her of their mother. “They kind of had their mother’s personalities — just very sweet, very kind,” she said.
For those who knew her, Hannah’s death feels like a loss that extends far beyond the family. “She was a great mother, and she was a great friend, and she did so much for people,” Sewell said. “She has a lot of people that are really missing her right now.”
Sewell also noted that Hannah’s final social media post was a Bible verse, Matthew 11:28: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Sewell said she can now see the poignancy in those words.
The investigation is ongoing, but at the moment the people who loved Hannah are doing their best to remember her as a friend and not a victim. “This could happen to anyone in the entire world, but it hits so much harder when it’s someone that you know,” Sewell said.
The GoFundMe for Hannah’s family remains active as relatives and friends search for answers and grieve the loss of four lives cut short.
