WEDDINGTON, N.C. -- A mother killed her daughter and then herself in their Weddington home late last week, authorities said after discovering their bodies on Monday.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office was asked to do a well-being check at the 6931 Tree Hill Road home in the Weddington Woods community just after 4 p.m. Monday. When an officer arrived, he found 34-year-old Christa Higgins Childester dead in the attic and the body of her 9-year-old daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Higgins, in her bed in an adjoining bedroom. A medical examiner said the child was smothered to death and the mother hung herself.

Authorities said the deaths happened on Friday. They said the woman left notes detailing the crime and specific instructions on how her personal affairs should be handled.

Det. Kevin Rogers, the lead investigator in the case, said Childester had been distraught lately due to personal problems. He said she divorced last year, had financial troubles and was unemployed.

“She didn't feel that she could continue on and did not want her daughter to have to bear that burden alone,” he said. “She didn’t want her daughter to be without her, without a mother at such a young age, and she was sparing her of that pain – that was the way she kind of put it.”

Sheriff’s investigators said they and agents from the State Bureau of Investigation spent about six hours collecting evidence at the scene. The investigation will remain open until the final reports from the medical examiner’s officer are handed down.

Investigators and family aren’t the only ones dealing with the deaths. Sarah Higgins attended Antioch Elementary School, and those in the school community learned of her death Tuesday morning.

Principal Ken Hoover said the fourth-grader was known as everybody’s friend.

“(She was) a wonderful young lady, a straight-A student, never a discipline problem. Just always upbeat,” Hoover said.

Administrators sent a letter home with the 100 fourth-grade students to inform their parents about the situation. In it the principal told parents to help their children deal with the news about their classmate by listening carefully and reassuring them that they are safe.

Counselors have also been at the school to help children deal with their shock and grief.

PDF: How Caregivers Can Help Children Exposed to Traumatic Death