FAYETTEVILLE -- Her daughter was happy in her brief time at the University of Arkansas, said Jan Marrs.
"She was happy with her house, her school, her grades, her boyfriend," Marrs said, describing the final weeks of Ashley Lane Marrs' life.
Police found the 18-year-old freshman lifeless Sept. 16 in the backseat of her vehicle at a Fayetteville motel, the death ruled a suicide by the Washington County Coroner's Office. The report was released Friday.
Before enrolling at UA, Lane, as she was known, received treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, Jan Marrs said.
"We view it as a medical illness. It's like getting cancer. It's something you need to talk about and need to address," she said.
The Marrs family, who live in the Kansas City, Kan., area, began raising money for suicide prevention efforts after their daughter's death. They plan to give approximately $20,000 to UA, Jan Marrs said, with the gift to help students through counseling available at UA's campus health center.
The family -- Jan, husband Jeff and 15-year-old daughter Carlie -- also have raised funds to help an organization called Speak Up, also based in the Kansas City area, bring speakers to schools for discussions on suicide prevention.
Before enrolling at UA, Lane Marrs had survived an attempt at suicide, Jan Marrs said, but had been doing better with treatment. She was a pledge at the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority chapter at UA.
"They were a wonderful support to her during the time she was there," Jan Marrs said.
At UA, "she felt she could stop taking her meds," Marrs said, attributing the decision to overconfidence and a desire to stay awake.
The gift to UA will help students who might see finances as a reason for not continuing with counseling, she said.
"As we've discovered in the last year or so, it's very pricey, even with good insurance," Jan Marrs said.
She added that the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority has also been working on suicide prevention efforts at UA.
The key is helping those with depression or dealing with trauma open up about their problems, she said. Her daughter eventually disclosed that she had been raped before her junior year of high school, Jan Marrs said.
"Seek out help. Don't hide it," Marrs said, adding, "don't think you can just get over it and will it away."
Metro on 01/15/2017