Classmates of slain Iowa children try to cope

Friends and classmates mourn the five slain Iowa children.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (CNN) -- Friends, classmates and school officials in Sioux City, Iowa, are trying to cope with the shocking slayings this week of two adults and five children.

Classmate Olympia Gutierrez shared her memories Friday of her friends, 12-year-old Claudia and 6-year-old Michael, who -- along with their mother Leticia Aguilar and three other siblings -- were found dead in their home on Thursday.

"What is running through our minds is why did an innocent girl have to die at such a young age?" Gutierrez told CNN.

The slain children were ages 6, 7, 9, 11 and 12. "I hope Claudia is happy where she is," said friend Rianna Whitebeaver.

VIDEO CNN's Jeff Flock has background information on the suspected killer of 7 in Sioux City, Iowa (September 1) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

"It seems kind of weird," she said. "Why did a girl who always had a smile on her face, who was so kind, have to die just because someone got angry over a stupid little thing?"

Also found dead in another part of the town of about 85,000 was popular local businessman Ronald Earl Fish, who operated a Sioux City tire store. Police said Fish, the mother and children were killed by 23-year-old Adam Matthew Moss. Authorities refused to speculate on a motive.

"These are senseless deaths in my personal opinion," said Sioux City Police Chief Joseph Frisbie. "I can't think of any reason I could give for these homicides."

Rianna Whitebeaver was a friend of one of the victims. "Why did a girl who always had a smile on her face ... have to die?" Whitebeaver asks.

School counselors were asked to try to comfort classmates of the child victims, The Associated Press reported. "It's something the entire city and region will wrestle with for some time," school district Superintendent Larry Williams told the AP. "It's going to be traumatic."

Counselors spoke with children at Everett Elementary School on Friday, as well as at West Middle School, where Claudia and her slain brother Zach attended, AP reported.

"They were truly wonderful kids," Everett Principal Michaela Hansen told AP. "My heart just goes out to that family. Words cannot express how badly I feel."

Williams told AP that it was especially difficult for the schoolchildren to understand the tragedy because of the large number of their classmates who were killed.

"There is always trauma for kids when a favorite teacher is lost due to sudden death," Williams told AP. "There's trauma when a parent or close friends are lost. Here we have classmates -- and a large number of them -- who are dead."

CNN Chicago Bureau Chief Jeff Flock contributed to this report.