JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A painful two years, including a contentious divorce, allegations of abuse and a violent car wreck, ended with tragedy Thursday for one Julington Creek family.
In announcing the that all evidence in the deaths of 40-year-old Donna McCulloch and her two sons -- Daniel Rashley, 8, and William (Ben) Rashley, 7 -- indicates it was a murder-suicide, St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar said, "I'm sure there was desperation."
A review of court records and WJXT's news archives show that life had been a struggle for McCulloch and her family for years.
In 2008, the family's home in World Golf Village went into foreclosure and they were forced to move.
The husband and father, Danny Rashley, was arrested in March 2010 on a charge of child abuse. Shoar said the case did not involve his children with McCulloch and the state attorney's office decided not to prosecute the case.
That same month, McCulloch filed for divorce from her husband of seven years. In her petition, McCulloch claimed "past physical abuse of the minor children" and "substantial alcohol abuse." The same month McCulloch filed for a domestic violence injunction against Rashley, claiming he had punched her in the back and she feared for her safety.
In June 2010, St. Johns County deputies said McCulloch was speeding when her vehicle crashed into a pole near her home, which left power lines lying across her crumbled car. McCulloch was severely injured, leaving her in a wheelchair.
At the time, her boys, Daniel and William, who the family called Ben, were 5 and 6 years old.
In September, McCulloch's divorce to Rashley was finalized. According to the divorce decree, Rashley had to have supervision during visits with his children until he was treated for alcoholism and anger issues.
In November 2010, Rashley was arrested on charges of grand theft and fraud, allegedly using McCulloch's debit card to make nearly $6,000 in purchases without her permission.
Rashley eventually pleaded guilty to the fraud charge and was just released from the St. Johns County jail three weeks ago.
Channel 4 was told by a friend of Rashley's that he is in Ohio now. When he was told about the deaths of his ex-wife and two sons, he became so distraught he was hospitalized and placed on suicide watch.
"The boys were like gold to Danny," said Jill Fritz, a lifelong friend of Rashley. "They were inseparable."
Fritz, who spent time with the two boys, describes them as very different.
"Daniel was very outspoken ... full of energy, very curious about things," Fritz said. "(Ben) was more the quiet one, more reserved, but very loving."
Some neighbors were shocked by the news of the family's deaths, but others could understand how something like this could happen in their quiet, affluent community.
"I guess it doesn't surprise me much to hear a story like that in our neighborhood," said Mike Schnell. "A lot of people are going through hard times for different reasons. We certainly got a number of people that are unhappy for different reasons -- financially or personally."