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Idaho murder victim's mom to begin 'new journey’ amid panic attacks, insomnia: 'Don't want to live like this forever…'
Victim Kaylee Goncalves' mother has opened up about a new “journey” she is about to begin amid her healing process, with Bryan Kohberger behind bars.
The mother of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the University of Idaho students murdered by Bryan Kohberger, has opened up about a new “journey” she is about to begin amid her healing process. Kristi Goncalves revealed how she has been dealing with “insomnia, panic attacks, and nightmares” following her daughter’s brutal murder.
University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee had their lives abruptly cut short when they were attacked with a knife by Kohberger in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, at a rental home near their campus in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison without parole in a Boise court on July 23, 2025.
‘My doctor put me on anxiety medication and antidepressants’
Kristi, who frequently shares updates on the Goncalves’ lives on the Facebook page ‘The Goncalves Family Page,’ wrote in the latest update, “I want to share with you all a new "journey" that I'm about to take. A few weeks after losing Kaylee and Maddie, my doctor put me on anxiety medication and antidepressants. Since then, new meds have been added and adjusted for insomnia, panic attacks, and nightmares. I don't want to live like this forever. I don't want to take these medications to suppress my feelings, but at this point, I am scared of what I will feel like without them.”
Kristi revealed that after her doctor retired in January, she had to start looking for a new doctor, which she said was “an absolute blessing in disguise.”
“After many conversations with my new doctor, I have decided on Ketamine Therapy. I will have my first session tomorrow. It is also very likely that within the next couple of weeks I start EMDR. I have HIGH hopes that this is going to be a tremendous help. My family and friends support me 100%. At this point, I feel like I have nothing to lose. So, here is to tomorrow, the start of my Ketamine Therapy...hopefully I can live a life not plagued with depression, anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks and nightmares. Much love to you all!!” she added.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Ketamine therapy uses a low dose of an anesthetic to treat depression, anxiety and some chronic pain. It works by blocking certain brain signals and helping nerve cells form new connections. It may quickly improve mood. Treatment is given by IV or nasal spray under medical supervision. You may need multiple sessions.”
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), on the other hand, is a mental health therapy method that “treats mental health conditions that happen because of memories from traumatic events in your past,” per the outlet.
The Cleveland Clinic adds, “It’s best known for its role in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but its use is expanding to include treatment of many other conditions.”
Who was Kaylee Goncalves?
Kaylee, a senior majoring in general studies, was roommates with victims Xana and Madison. She was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority. Kaylee and Madison grew up together in northern Idaho, and were the closest of friends – something that is clear from their social media posts about each other.
Kaylee’s family earlier opened up about her harrowing last moments in a previous social media post. The Goncalves family was furious about a plea deal that helped Kohberger dodge the death penalty. They expressed their anger in various posts on their Facebook family page. In one of those posts, they opened up about how Kohberger showed no mercy to Kaylee.
In the heartbreaking post, they revealed that Kohberger beat Kaylee before killing her.
“Also people say that the Goncalves don't want justice, they want vengeance,” the post said. “Well let me ask you a question about that...if your 21yr old daughter was sleeping in her bed and BK went into her house with the intention to kill her and he did, by stabbing her MANY times, as well as beating her in the face and head while it was clear that she fought for her life...what would you want? Justice or vengeance ? Maybe a little bit of both? I'm curious how you all would feel. It gets so old having people say we want vengeance and make it sound like we are animals for having those feelings... I just find it so hard that so many people are judging us and they have never stepped foot in our shoes.”
The family recently also criticized the release of grisly crime scene photos of the murders by Idaho State Police. Nearly 3,000 previously unseen photos showed blood-soaked rooms after the students were killed.
The photos were released by Idaho State Police, but were quickly scrubbed from their website, according to the Daily Mail. However, they continued to circulate in social media groups discussing the murders.
Kaylee’s family slammed the release of the photos, saying on social media, “Murder isn’t entertainment & crime scene photos aren’t content.”
