Madison Hallett was emotionally troubled, so say her parents while reflecting on events that pushed the young mother to kill her two children and herself.

Notes from Hallett found at the scene were apologetic and said she was tired of life.

Hallett, 24, shot and killed herself Wednesday after killing her two children: daughter, Natalya Hallett Carosiellie, 6, and son, Drayden Hallett Warnick, 18 months.

The fatal shootings occurred in Carroll County's Harrison Township in a home the three shared in the 100 block of Waynesburg Road.

The trio lived with the young mother's father, David Hallett, who heard the gunshots Wednesday morning and called 911.

"She had post traumatic stress from a car accident a few years ago," David Hallett said. "She had been having problems."

Madison Hallett, a 2005 graduate of Carrollton High School, was in the Army Reserve. She also had been a student at Kent State University's Tuscarawas County branch, studying criminal justice.

IT WAS PLANNED

Carroll County authorities are classifying the deaths as a double homicide-suicide.

"She had planned it for a while, I would think," county Sheriff Dale Williams said.

Williams said the gun used in the shootings was purchased by Madison Hallett on Sept. 12 at Gander Mountain in Canton.

The sheriff described the shooting as a methodical process in which Hallett shot her children one at a time as they slept in separate rooms in the lower-level of the house.

David Hallett was upstairs when the shots were fired.

"I think if he would have walked downstairs and tried to intervene, she would have shot him, too," Williams said.

Suicide notes were found at the scene, according to Williams. Carroll County Coroner Mandal Haas was in custody of some of those notes. One note was addressed to law-enforcement officers.

In that note, "she was apologetic to put my department through what we went through when we got to the scene," Williams said.

He said the note to deputies included comments such as, "I'm just tired of life. I don't want my kids to be raised in this kind of life. I just wanted to end it."

Haas agreed the notes were very apologetic and that the mother indicated she was very dissatisfied with the past and did not want her children growing up in the world.

The notes were found at the bottom of the stairs outside of the children's bedrooms.

WHO IS MADISON?

On her Facebook page, Madison Hallett credits her family for "being so special to me ... there to lend a hand or good advice."

She describes herself as being a "mother of two wonderful children ... love college and my impressive GPA!!! ... Loving life!!"

Her mother, Crystal Hallett, lived in a house across the street from where the shootings occurred. Crystal and David Hallett are divorced.

Crystal Hallett also recalled some troubling signs from her daughter.

"You never think they are that upset," she said. "She was having problems prior to this."

Authorities identify the children's fathers as Clint Carosiellie, who has been in North Carolina, and Richard Warnick of New Castle, Pa.

The funeral service for Natalya will be 11 a.m. Thursday in Allmon-Dugger-Cotton Funeral Home in Carrollton. Calling hours will be 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

Services are pending for Drayden and his mother with Sweeney-Dodds Funeral Home also in Carrollton.