Jessica Edens [left] killed  Meredith Leigh Rahme [right], before shooting her children and turning the gun on herself. Jessica’s online postings show she believed her ex and Rahme were dating. Cops say they were just colleagues, working for the same employer

The pair had been locked in a heated custody battle and Edens was left distraught by a Family Court proceeding in the days ahead of her attack, according to the release.
Deputies used a baton to smash in the driver-side window and described the scene that followed as “graphic and heartbreaking,” Fox Carolina reported.
The Jessica and both children suffered gunshot wounds, according to the coroner. Deputies said Edens went to her parents’ home ahead of the deadly attack and stole a .40 caliber handgun.

Hayden King, 9, and Harper Edens, 5, were shot to death by their mother in Greenville, SC on July 13

It’s the same firearm that was used to kill Meredith Leigh Rahme, who was discovered shot to death the same day in the parking garage of her apartment in downtown Greenville.
Authorities confirmed Edens left the garage shortly before Rahme’s body was found.
The 28-year-old victim reportedly reached out to officers in the weeks before her death, asking about acquiring a restraining order.
“There is someone angry with me who is contacting everyone I know and work with and reporting these hateful messages about me,” she said in newly released audio from the 911 calls.
Edens’ husband similarly called police before the killing spree. He requested authorities check in on his estranged wife and kids after receiving a disturbing text from her.

Authorities used a baton to smash in the driver-side window of the locked, running SUV to retrieve the remains of the victims and the shooter

The officer at the time said Edens did not seem erratic or threatening when he stopped by her home on July 12.
Rahme had been living in the same apartment building as Edens’ husband and authorities have described the women as acquaintances.
The Sheriff’s office concluded in their investigation report that ‘the incident on July 13, 2017, was the tragic conclusion in the events that started a couple of hours earlier with the investigation of a woman later identified as Meredith Rahme, 28, who was fatally was shot in a parking garage located in downtown Greenville.’
Detectives  determined that Jessica Edens, 36, went into her parent’s home the day before and stole a .40 caliber handgun while the parents were out of town, which she used in the killings and subsequent suicide.
Phone records  confirmed that Jessica Edens became distraught following a Family Court preceding earlier that same week.
Texts messages and other written content clearly indicate that Mrs. Edens developed a plan in the next couple of days that she felt would cause everlasting consequences for her husband, Benjamin Edens.
In the wake of the tragedy, Sheriff Rick Clark urged anyone experiencing any dangerous or suicidal impulses to reach out to law enforcement for help.
“As we struggle to understand how a parent could possibly come to a decision such as this, we have to focus on tomorrow and provide services and solutions to those that feel their life and the lives of their loved one must end in order to find peace,” he said.
“Please reach out to law enforcement so that we can be the bridge to lead you to a road of recovery.”