St. Louis, MO--The parents of Mary Jo Trokey, who police said killed her husband and 3-month-old daughter in their St. Louis Hills home two weeks ago, tell 5 On Your Side she suffered from post-partum psychosis, which they believe led her to commit suicide and take the lives of those she loved.
"Beyond that, we don’t know," said Frank Fick, Mary Jo’s father.
On Feb. 6, police found Mary Jo Trokey, her husband Matt and their 3-month-old daughter Taylor Rose dead inside their St. Louis Hills home. Investigators said it was Mary Jo who pulled the trigger and confirmed she bought a gun the day before the murders.
"Her close friends, nobody had a clue,” said Polly Fick, Mary Jo’s mother. “She spoke in present tense."
"What happened was so completely off the charts," her father said. “It's hard to say because of this [because of] that."
When 5 On Your Side sat down with her parents, the two showed strength. Underneath, they said, their pain was unbearable. Their emotions are raw. They still can’t look at pictures. The Ficks said their lives will never be the same.
“We're determined not to be overcome by this, although, we are changed forever."
The Ficks describe the couple as faith-driven and “spiritual.” Mary Jo’s mother, Polly, said her husband, Matt, was there every step of the way after her daughter gave birth to their granddaughter, Taylor Rose. But even with a strong support system, her parents said being a mother was overwhelming for her.
“She had an opportunity to reach out, if not to us, to friends and other people. She didn't,” Frank said. “Which suggests to us she didn't really know what was coming.”
Mary Jo was a social worker and was on maternity leave for three months. When she went back to work, it was hard for her to leave her daughter Taylor Rose. She killed herself, her husband and 3-month-old two weeks after she went back to work.
“She probably figured whatever it was she could deal with it. but again, we don’t know what went on inside of her,” Frank said.
“The expectations on women are unbelievable from going to work and being a mom,” Polly said. “Matt was right there and he helped her.”
Despite the tragedy, the Ficks will not let their grief consume them.
"We want and are determined that some good will come out of this horrific tragedy," Frank said.
Mary Jo’s parents want to raise awareness about post-partum depression and post-partum psychosis. The Ficks want to create a foundation to help young mothers and to not let what happened to their daughter happen to anyone else.
"We need to start coming to tables and start talking about this kind of stuff and not be embarrassed if you have post-partum depression and post-partum psychosis," Polly said.
“We want to make sure that others won’t lose their families as we lost our family," Frank said.
