FAIRFIELD TWP., Ohio – A good friend and neighbor said she was shocked to find out 54-year-old Barbara Busch shot and killed her special-needs daughter and then turned the gun on herself.
Jill Lippert said Busch loved her 24-year-old daughter, Cynthia, and Lippert could only imagine that Bucsh felt overwhelmed caring for her.
"There's no possible way there could have been any malice for her to make the decision that she did," Lippert said.
Lippert said she has lived two houses down Busch for 15 years and knew the family well.
"It is shocking because if you knew, if you were ever around Barb, it was fun and smiling and laughing, and the whole family very upbeat," Lippert said.
She said Busch was a loving mother and a huge advocate in the special needs community.
Lippert said she couldn't imagine what her friend was going through in her final moments.
"The challenge, I think, must have been overwhelming because the love was certainly there for everyone," Lippert said.
"It appeared it was just got to be too much for her," said the Fairfield Township police chief, Matt Fruchey.
"People do get to their breaking point and get to the point where they just feel there's nothing no other alternative for them. It's a sad outcome," Fruchey said.
Fruchey said his officers arrived to a horrifying seen at the Busches' home on Springcrest Drive Thursday night.
"For the first officers on the scene … you feel the sadness that's in the air on something like this," he said.
Busch's fiancé, William Bryd, found the bodies in the basement just before 9 p.m., police said. Fruchey said the fatal shootings appear to have happened between 7 and 8:30 p.m.
Lippert said she is doing the best she can to remember the good things about her friend.
"Jovial, I would think, is a good word for Barb," she said. "She was smart and happy and just together."
Police are waiting for the coroner's report before finishing their investigation.
Help for Parents
Parents who feel overwhelmed raising a child with special needs can get help from the Special Needs Kids' Club at Crossroads Church.
The group meets once a month. Times and dates vary by location.
