GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) -- Cody Hettich says postpartum depression drove his wife Sasha, the mother of his two children, to commit suicide on Christmas Day.
Early that afternoon he says Sasha told him she and their 3-year-old daughter and 5-month-old son were going to Starbucks.
The next day deputies found her in a remote area dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Her shivering baby son was strapped inside her vehicle.
Her 3-year-old daughter was snuggled up against her body. Both were treated for hypothermia.
Cody Hettich blames postpartum depression for his wife's behavior.
"This wasn't Sasha," he says. "This wasn't the woman I married. The woman I married was a fantastic mom. This wasn't my wife. This was a disease my wife had."
Cody Hettich says his wife battled back from postpartum depression following the birth of their daughter 3 year ago, but never regained her mental health after their son was born in July.
He urges mothers feeling symptoms of depression to contact the MOMSBLOOM organization for help and advice.
"One thing I hope we can do is begin to shift the blame away from mothers and to the disease," he says. "We should talk more seriously about how bad this can get."
