Murder, suicide and the family left behind

Shooter couldn't put war behind him, girlfriend says
Wounded vet who committed murder-suicide had a difficult time dealing with trauma.
The Morning Call
By Pamela Lehman
November 9, 2013

Amanda Snyder fell in love with him five years after he came back from Afghanistan.

A soldier with the 82nd Airborne Division, he had enlisted while still in Northampton Area High School because he wanted to fight in the war on terror. The wounds from that battle injured his brain, cost him the lower half of his right leg and left him without the use of his right hand and wrist.

When she met Robert Kislow at a car show in Macungie, he broke the ice by introducing himself and taking off his prosthetic leg.

That didn't matter to Snyder.

"It made him who he was," she said.

She gave him two children and looked forward to marrying him and living in a new house in Moore Township built by the nonprofit group Homes for Our Troops, which honors veterans by building their dream homes.

For Kislow, that was a house in the woods of northwestern Northampton County that he loved. It was there, just before midnight July 29, that Kislow erupted. He got into an argument with Snyder's mother, shot her to death and then turned the gun on himself.

The murder and suicide seemed the opposite of the positive attitude Kislow had shown in one newspaper story after another. While lying in a bed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2005 — knowing that his right foot and lower leg would likely be amputated — he told a Morning Call reporter, "This isn't going to slow me down one bit."

In early 2011, he eagerly awaited moving into his new home and reveled in his job as a technician at PSI Motorsports in Lowhill Township: "I've healed. My head's in a good place."

Snyder, a slight 21-year-old who nervously pulled on her long hair while she talked recently about Kislow and the shootings, said her fiancé's struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder revealed itself in bouts of silence, not violence.

But she has no doubts the shootings were the result of Kislow's battle with PTSD and the traumatic brain injury he suffered in the firefight that cost him his leg eight years ago.

"I don't think of him as a murderer," she said. "I think it built up and he just snapped."

Looking back, she said she now sees warning signs that Kislow was struggling. Instead of worrying his family, she said Kislow would sometimes grow silent.

She said he was frustrated by therapists who seemed to offer only pills to deal with his issues.

"I thought I knew what PTSD is, but I really had no idea," Snyder said.
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Officer's brother speaks out about murder-suicide

Officer's brother speaks out about murder-suicide
Brother says he never saw any sign of trouble
ABC News
By: Christian Schaffer
October 29, 2013

For the first time we're hearing from the brother of a Baltimore City police officer who shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, a city firefighter, and then committed suicide.

The gunman, Chris Robinson, served in the Marines but he was never deployed in combat. His brother says he never saw any signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, or anything that might have led anyone to predict what happened early Sunday morning in Glen Burnie.

“He knew exactly what he was doing at all times so this is very much a shock.

Absolutely out of nowhere. Absolutely,” said his brother, Wayne Robinson.
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UPDATE

From The Baltimore Sun
Baltimore police officials said on Sunday there were "no indications that a military deployment was the cause of this incident" but promised an "immediate review" to see if more could be done to assist officers who have been deployed in the military when they return to civilian life.

Lt. Eric Kowalczyk, a Baltimore police spokesman, declined to clarify that statement on Monday. Lt. T.J. Smith, an Anne Arundel County police spokesman, said police would look into Robinson's past but declined to provide further updates on the investigation. He also declined to comment further on the gun used except that it was not Robinson's service weapon.

Robinson and Hartman had broken up a few months ago, family members said, and Robinson was having trouble moving on even as Hartman began dating Hoffman. Hartman's stepfather has said that Hartman's younger sister hid in a closet in Hoffman's home as Robinson opened fire on the couple.

Murder-suicide underscores need for PTSD awareness, funding

The biggest point being missed here is that after all these years of claims by the DOD they are "addressing" PTSD and suicides, every news report exposes how little any of it is working.

EDITORIAL: Murder-suicide underscores need for PTSD awareness, funding
By Express-Times opinion staff
August 02, 2013

It is strange, to say the least, to express sympathy for a person who took the life of another before taking his own. But that’s one of the starting points to try to understand the tragic turnaround in the life of Afghanistan war veteran Robert Kislow III, who shot and killed the mother of his fiancee in his Moore Township home Monday, then killed himself.

First there is the shock of the tragedy itself. Two lives gone. Kislow’s fiancee, Amanda Snyder, witnessed the shootings, according to police, and will have to go on without her partner and her mother, Michelle Snyder, and with the two young children she had with Kislow.

A family already dealing with one member’s post-traumatic stress disorder now must deal with its contagion of death, disruption and the cruel uncertainty of why these things happen at all.

Robert Kislow seemed to be coping. Unlike many active soldiers and veterans who suffer under the stigma of asking for help, Kislow was active in dealing with PTSD, according to many who knew him. After incurring multiple wounds a few months into his deployment in Afghanistan in 2005 and losing a leg, he recovered from his physical injuries, went to college, started a family, and demonstrated a willingness to share his story with others. Two years ago he and Amanda took ownership of a home built for them by Homes for Our Troops. Kislow spoke publicly about PTSD and reached out to other veterans struggling with its latent demons.
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Afghanistan veteran Robert Kislow III fired the fatal shots in the home that volunteers built

Robert Kislow III fired the fatal shots in the home that volunteers built. He was wounded in combat by body and mind. He was also loved. According to the following news account, Robert also attempted suicide before this horrible ending. What went wrong? Why did he survive every wound during combat but could not survive being back home with the woman he planned to marry, his children and an entire community that showed up to build his home? His future mother-in-law is dead now and he ended his own pain with a bullet. This is a strong example of how much these men and women are failed when they come home.

Authorities say Afghanistan War vet killed fiancee's mom, self
Robert Kislow III fired the fatal shots in the home that volunteers built for him.
The Morning Call
By Pamela Lehman and Bill Landauer
July 30, 2013

In 2005, Robert Kislow III survived enemy gunfire in Afghanistan. One bullet cut through his helmet, snaking a path on the back of his head. Other shots shattered his wrist and ankle.

A year after that attack, which ultimately cost him part of a leg, the anger, pain and anguish from his injuries plunged him into depression, leading him to abuse prescription drugs and attempt suicide, the Army veteran from East Allen Township said in a 2008 interview.

He believed his life was on an upswing in 2011 when his son was born. That same day, he wept as he thanked more than 100 volunteers from Homes for Our Troops gathered to build his young family a house near the base of Blue Mountain in Moore Township.

But just before midnight Monday at the home tucked in a wooded lot, authorities say, Kislow shot and killed his fiancee's mother and then turned the handgun on himself. His fiancee, Amanda Snyder, their son and baby girl were also inside at the time of the shootings. They were not injured, police say.

He was wounded while on patrol east of Kabul on June 10, 2005. The 19-year-old private first class waved and smiled at a man he thought was a civilian, but quickly discovered "it was a trap," the article says. "The guy's buddy rose up from the bushes and shot me five times."

Kislow suffered gunshot wounds to the back of his head, ankle, elbow, back and side. The bullet in his head was later removed, but he said the damage caused a traumatic brain injury. His right leg was eventually amputated just below the knee, and he lost most of the movement in his right hand and wrist.
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Murder-suicide drives mom into PTSD campaign

Murder-suicide drives mom into PTSD campaign
Says Rico Rawls returned from war a different man in need of help
Leaf-Chronicle
Written by
Tavia D. Green
July 14, 2013

CLARKSVILLE, TENN. — Dawn Sult-Williams doesn’t make promises she can’t keep.

On April 23, 2012, her heart heavy and face saturated in pain, she looked at her daughter, Spc. Jessica T. Rawls, for the last time and made a promise.

Jessica Rawls lay lifeless in the silk-lined casket. She was shot to death by her husband, Spc. Rico Rawls, who later committed suicide.

“I wrote her a letter, and I put it in her coffin,” Sult-Williams said, tears creeping from the corners of her eyes. “I told her I would do my best to keep the same thing from happening from someone else. I never make promises, but I promised her. That’s a big deal for me.”

On April 13, 2012, at about 10:22 a.m., Jessica Rawls, 27, and Rico Rawls were arguing in their Fort Campbell home. Rico retrieved a gun and shot Jessica once in her head and fled the home. Zoe, their 1-year-old daughter, was asleep upstairs at the time, according to an official Army investigation report.
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Fort Campbell Murder Suspect Shoots Himself

A murder-suicide and the dark side of military recruiting

A murder-suicide and the dark side of military recruiting
MSNBC News
Suzy Khimm
06/21/2013

To her parents, Michelle Miller was a devoted daughter, a fierce lacrosse player, and a driven high school senior who dreamed of becoming an Army psychologist.

To the Army recruiter who ended her life, she was just “Babyface.”

Staff Sgt. Adam Arndt, 31, had an “inappropriate sexual relationship” with Michelle Miller, 17, while he was supervising the young recruit’s preparations for basic training, according to a legal claim filed by Miller’s parents. On April 8, both were found dead in his Germantown, Md., home: Arndt told Miller that he was feeling suicidal, then shot her when she came to his home, before killing himself.

Miller’s family has now filed a $10 million claim against the Army, alleging that Arndt’s superiors failed to supervise him adequately and stop the predatory behavior of a married man who had wed one of his former recruits just a year earlier.

“It’s not going to bring back my daughter’s life, but maybe we can save other children,” said her mother Pacita Miller, wearing Michelle’s jewelry and dog tags over her office clothes. “Who was trying to supervise this man?”

In the months since Michelle’s death, Congress has becoming increasingly focused on fighting sexual assault in the military at large, with new protections passing the House this month and similar legislation currently before the Senate.

But some legislators and advocates believe that Michelle’s story reveals a problem that’s remained on the sidelines: the need to prevent sexual misconduct and assault not only against enlisted soldiers, but also young recruits before they even ship out for basic training.
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Recruiter in murder-suicide was 9-year veteran

Recruiter in murder-suicide was 9-year veteran
Apr. 9, 2013
By Ben Nuckols
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A military recruiter who police say fatally shot a teenage girl he signed up for the Army Reserve before committing suicide was a nine-year veteran who had served overseas, the Army said Tuesday.

Staff Sgt. Adam Arndt, 31, was found dead of a gunshot wound Monday morning inside his Germantown, Md., home. Also dead was Michelle Miller, 17, a senior at Rockville High School.

Police believe Arndt fatally shot Miller, who was signed up to enter the Army Reserve after graduation, before killing himself. A handgun was found at the home, police said.

Miller's father, Kevin Miller, told The Associated Press on Monday night that he had not met Arndt but that his daughter had seemed “a little smitten with this guy.” He said she met him about four or five months ago.

Kevin Miller said his daughter left their Rockville home Sunday night, saying somebody in her platoon was suicidal. He said she stopped responding to his calls and text messages.
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3 Marines dead in apparent double murder-suicide at Quantico

UPDATE APRIL 25, 2013
Head of Marine Corps Officer Candidates School relieved of command
UPDATE
Marine shooter identified
Marine Sgt. Eusebio Lopez, 25, shot and killed two fellow Marines before turning the gun on himself Thursday evening at the base at which they were stationed in Quantico, Va.
The two victims were Marine Lance Cpl. Sara Castro-Mata, 19, from Oakley, Calif., and 23-year-old Cpl. Jacob Wooley from Guntown, Miss. All three were staff at the Officer Candidates School, where they trained new Marine officers.

3 Marines dead in apparent double murder-suicide at Quantico
WTOP News
Friday - 3/22/2013, 8:02am ET

QUANTICO, Va. - Three active duty Marines -- two men and one woman assigned to the Officer Candidate School at Marine Base Quantico -- are dead in an apparent double murder-suicide that locked down the Prince William County base for several hours.

"Our thoughts are prayers are with them at this time. This is truly a tragic loss for the Marine Corps, which has had a number of tragic losses in the last couple of weeks," said Col. David W. Maxwell, Quantico base commander, during a 7 a.m. news conference.

"I want to express my sincere condolences to the families, the friends and the Marines of the three Marines we lost last night," an emotional Maxwell said in prepared remarks that last just over 4 minutes.
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8 days after release from VA, veteran killed himself and wife

Fireworks, common unsettling event if you have PTSD and has not been treated. Hell, it can be hard even if they have been treated. This set of a chain of events that should prove once and for all, when it comes to suicides tied to military service, too much of the wrong things are being done and not enough of the good stuff is happening.

The veteran in this case tried to kill himself but survived. For 3 days, not weeks, not months, only 3 days, the VA watched over him. What happened in those 3 short days is anyone's guess. Was it all about medications? Observation? Therapy? Whomever decided 3 days was long enough to undo whatever it was that nearly cost this man his life, should have their own head examined.

8 days after the VA discharged him, his wife didn't survive and neither did he.

Family questions whether veteran got the care he needed from the VA hospital
Fayetteville Observer
Mar 03, 2013

The bullet missed, leaving only a flash burn and giving Adams a second lease on life.

Two days later, Nicole Fairfax said, she drove her father to the Fayetteville Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where he told an emergency room nurse that he was still having suicidal thoughts.

Adams spent three days in the hospital's mental health ward. Eight days after his release, he shot and killed his wife of 38 years, Cathy, and then himself at their Lumberton home.

He was 62; she was 56.

Now, the family questions whether the VA adequately cared for a man once regarded by many as a pillar of his community.

Family members say Adams had been severely depressed for weeks before his death.

Adams' son-in-law, Jason Fairfax, said that earlier July 4, Adams and other family members went to Lumberton High School to watch fireworks. Adams seemed withdrawn, Fairfax said, and he paced around a lot.

Two days later, when Nicole Fairfax drove her father to the VA, he told her about his suicide attempt.

"He said, 'I can't do it anymore. I need help,' " she said. "He just kept shaking me and telling me he loved me."

In the week of Sept. 10, a team from the Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of Inspector General went to the Fayetteville VA to evaluate patient care and other hospital operations. The inspection appears to have been unrelated to Adams' death.

According to the team's report, it found that the VA failed to properly follow up with nine of 10 patients whose names appeared on a list of people considered at high risk of suicide.
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Connecticut Grandmother killed kids in murder-suicide

Double Murder-Suicide Again Brings Mental Health Issues to the Forefront
Debra Denison reportedly suffered from bipolar disorder. 'It underscores that we need to do more to provide mental health access to people and families struggling," state Sen. Andrew Maynard said.
By Bree Shirvell

As Connecticut residents mourn the tragic loss of two young North Stonington boys, the state is once again facing questions about mental health and gun policies.

On Tuesday afternoon, Debra Denison, 47, of Stonington picked up her grandsons, Alton Perry, 2, and 6-month-old Ashton Perry, from Kidds and Co. day care in North Stonington. Sometime that night she shot the two boys to death at a boat launch in Preston near Lake of Isles golf course before killing herself.

"This is absolutely heartbreaking," Senator Chris Murphy said. "Our thoughts are with the family and their loved ones as they deal with this awful tragedy.”
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PTSD in the UK, Soldiers and families suffer there too

When we read about things happening here we assume it is just the US but it is not. Once in a while a report comes out from another country.

Soldier who killed his two young children 'was suffering post-traumatic stress disorder'
Michael Pedersen, the former soldier who committed suicide after killing his two young children, told his doctor he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder brought about from his time in the Army less than a month before the incident.
The Telegraph
By Tom Rowley
05 Dec 2012

Sgt Pedersen, a former cavalryman who was riding Sefton when his unit was hit by an IRA nail bomb in Hyde Park in 1982, was "angry" after his marriage broke down weeks before he stabbed his children and then himself, an inquest in Winchester heard.

His son Ben, seven, was stabbed at least six times in his chest while his daughter Freya, six, was stabbed in the heart and a major artery in her arm was severed in the incident in September, the coroner was told.

Sgt Pedersen then stabbed himself three times in the chest and once through his forearm. Multiple stab wounds were identified as the cause of death for all three.
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Hero Wyoming college instructor fought son in arrow attack

Police: Hero instructor fought son in arrow attack
By MEAD GRUVER
The Associated Press
Sunday, December 2, 2012

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Gravely wounded by an arrow fired into his head, a Wyoming college instructor still managed to wrestle with his 25-year-old son who carried out the attack and give his students time to flee the classroom, say police who hailed the actions as heroic.

More grisly details of the horrific murder-suicide in Wyoming came to light Saturday, a day after the younger man killed his father's live-in girlfriend and then barged into his father's computer science class and shot him in the head with a high-powered bow and arrow.

As James Krumm, 56, then fought with son Christopher Krumm of Vernon, Conn., during Friday's attack, the handful of students in the Casper College classroom escaped.

Christopher Krumm had just stabbed to death 42-year-old Heidi Arnold at the home she shared with James Krumm two miles away.

When police arrived at the classroom, they found Christopher Krumm bleeding from self-inflicted knife wounds and taking his last breaths.

James Krumm was dead, Casper Police Chief Chris Walsh said.

"I can tell you the courage that was demonstrated by Mr. Krumm was absolutely without equal," he said, adding that the instructor's actions could offer some measure of comfort to those affected by the killings.
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Friends of Crystal Nevarez Lugo raise money to bring her body home

Friends of murder-suicide victim raise money to help bring her body back home
KFOX
By Veronica Macias
Nov. 28, 2012

EL PASO, Texas — Friends of a Socorro woman found dead near a Juarez landfill after her husband allegedly killed her started the grieving process by raising money to bring her home.

Crystal Nevarez Lugo's body was found 300 meters from a Juarez landfill wrapped in a pink blanket, said Mexican authorities. Officials also said a note helped them find the body of 20-year-old Lugo on Tuesday afternoon.

Mexican officials were given information from El Paso authorities about an alleged confession from Johnny Ray Nevarez, the husband of Crystal Lugo.

El Paso County Sheriff Deputies found Nevarez's body after he shot himself in the desert of the Hueco Tanks area on Monday.
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Dad says PTSD is behind the tragic death of his son and daughter in-law

Dad says PTSD is behind the tragic death of his son and daughter in-law

Only on ABC-7: Johnnyray Nevarez's father speaks out about his son's murder-suicide.
Jimmy Nevarez says Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome or PTSD is behind the tragic death of his son and daughter in-law, Crystal Nevarez-Lugo.
ABC
Ashlie Rodriguez
Reporter
Nov 28, 2012

EL PASO, Texas
The father of 27-year-old Johnnyray Nevarez speaks out about his son's murder-suicide.

Jimmy Nevarez says Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome or PTSD is behind the tragic death of his son and daughter in-law, Crystal Nevarez-Lugo. It's an interview you'll only see on ABC-7.

"There's a lot of kids coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan that are coming back with PTSD," said the father of Johnnyray Nevarez, Jimmy Nevarez.

And 27-year-old Johnnyray Nevarez was one of them.

Johnnyray served in the Marines from 2003 to 2007, fighting in the bloody battle of Fallujah. He saw his friends killed by an IED blast only he survived. His broken ribs healed, but he could never forget that moment. After his first tour, his family tells me they could see the toll it took on their ambitious son. His father, Jimmy Nevarez, said one night he found his son hiding underneath the bed in fetal position, reliving his wartime terror. But, Jimmy says, Johnnyray only showed love and kindness toward his family.
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Friends of Crystal Nevarez Lugo raise money to bring her body home

Murder-suicide has East St. Louis in shock

'So out of character': ESL murder, suicide has city in shock
Published: November 23, 2012
By CAROLYN P. SMITH
News-Democrat

EAST ST. LOUIS — The 69-year-old man and 66-year-old woman who died in a murder-suicide Thursday in the 700 block of North 75th Street have been identified as Bobby Stewart and Dorothy McCaskill.

East St. Louis Police received a call at 6 p.m. to respond to what they believed was a hostage situation at the couple's residence. Once there, they called in the Illinois State Police SWAT team. The next several hours were intense and police used extreme caution in an attempt to keep the situation from escalating.
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Marine and wife die in murder-suicide

More information released in homicide-suicide

Officers with the Jacksonville Police Department found the bodies of Jeremy Darrell Hall and Jessica B. Hart-Hall, both 22, of Jacksonville, at 1405 Hargett St. Tuesday.

By TABITHA CLARK
Daily News Staff
Published: Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Updated at 9:04 a.m. Oct. 25


The man whose body was found in a house on Hargett Street on Tuesday has been identified by Marine Corps officials.

Lance Cpl. Jeremy D. Hall, 22, of Amanda, Ohio, and his wife Jessica Hall, 22, of Amanda Ohio, were found dead at 1405 Hargett St. by Jacksonville Police after a family member called JPD concerned.

According to Jacksonville Police, autopsies were performed Wednesday at Onslow Memorial Hospital. Jessica Hall had two fatal gunshot wounds, and Lance Cpl. Hall had died from a single, apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.

First Lt. Kristen McCarthy, a 2nd Marine Division spokeswoman, stated in an email that the Marine was a tank crewman assigned to 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. He joined the Marine Corps in March 2011 and was promoted to his current rank in December 2011.

His awards include the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

“2nd Marine Division’s thoughts are with the Hall family during this difficult time,” McCarthy stated.

Police believe the incident was a homicide-suicide, and it remains under investigation.
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NCIS respond to murder-suicide

Victim's family upset murder-suicide attacker buried at Fort Custer Cemetery

Victim's family upset murder-suicide attacker is buried at Fort Custer cemetery
Battle Creek Enquirer
Oct 19, 2012
Written by
Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — The husband of an Indianapolis apartment complex manager killed by a gunman is upset that the Army veteran was buried at a military cemetery in Michigan.

Police say 30-year-old Michael Anderson fatally shot himself as officers confronted him after killing 45-year-old Alicia Koehl and wounding three other people on May 31 at the complex where he previously lived.

Paul Koehl tells WISH-TV that military rules should’ve prevented Anderson’s June burial at Fort Custer National Cemetery near Battle Creek, Mich.
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Three women shot to death in Casselberry Florida

This happened near my house. Several police and ambulances went whizzing by and then there were helicopters hovering. I wasn't sure what happened but I knew it had to be something big.

'We saw a bunch of dead bodies' at Casselberry salon where three women were shot dead
Gunman shot four women in the Las Dominicanas M and M Salon, killing three, then drove away and killed himself.
By Amy Pavuk and Jeff Weiner, Orlando Sentinel
October 18, 2012

Four women at a hair salon in Casselberry were gunned down Thursday — three of them killed — before the shooter committed suicide at a home nearby, authorities say.

Casselberry police said four women who worked at the Las Dominicanas M & M Salon on State Road 436 near Aloma Avenue were shot at the business around 11 a.m.

Three of the women were pronounced dead. The fourth woman was taken to an area hospital and her condition is unknown.

Police said the gunman left the salon, located in a small strip mall near a Family Dollar store, and then shot himself several miles away at a home on Paradise Lane.

The identities of the gunman or deceased have not been released.
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PTSD a mother's story

Jason Pemberton, Highly-Decorated Iraq War Veteran with PTSD, Kills Wife Tiffany, Himself in Daytona Beach, Florida
FEBRUARY 6, 2012
by BRETT WILKINS

A highly-decorated Iraq war veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) killed his wife and himself in Florida over the weekend, the latest casualties in a military mental health crisis that has been growing in recent years as hundreds of thousands of troops return home from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan and struggle to re-adjust to civilian life.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that 28-year-old Jason Pemberton and his wife Tiffany, age 25, were found dead in their Daytona Beach, Florida apartment on Sunday morning. Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood described a horrific scene discovered by police responding to a neighbor’s call. Another neighbor said he head two gunshots around 9:30pm on Saturday but did not notify authorities.

A preliminary investigation found that Pemberton shot his wife in the chest with a rifle before turning it on himself, shooting himself in the head.

Pemberton, who served with great valor as a sniper in the U.S. Army, was a highly-decorated soldier. He was awarded three Purple Hearts, awarded to troops wounded in battle, as well as a Bronze Star and other medals. But he also suffered from PTSD and received a medical discharge from the Army in 2009 because of a severe back injury suffered when his parachute opened too late.
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Cops find decapitated head of 2 year old in freezer

If you have a problem understanding why cops end up with PTSD too, read this and then think about what it was like for the cops to see it.

NJ mom who once lost custody decapitates son, 2
Posted: August 22, 2012
By KATHY MATHESON
Associated Press

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - The 911 call from Chevonne Thomas was rambling and incoherent, but authorities said she made one thing clear: Her 2-year-old son had been stabbed, and "I did it."

What police found at her Camden rowhouse early Wednesday was even more horrifying.

Thomas had decapitated her son and placed his head in the freezer.

The 33-year-old mother later fatally stabbed herself after hanging up on emergency dispatchers, a violent end to a troubled life.

Thomas only recently regained custody of son Zahree after allegedly leaving the boy unattended in a car, telling police she had smoked marijuana laced with the hallucinogenic drug PCP and blacked out in a nearby park.

Distraught family members who arrived at the scene late Wednesday morning, shocked expressions on their faces, declined to comment. Some neighbors described strange behavior by Thomas, who had just moved to the street from elsewhere in the city. Others saw no evidence of problems.

"Because, had we known something was up, I'm quite sure all the neighbors on this block would have talked to her," said Tayari Horcey, who lives a few doors from Thomas. "But, you know, people hold stuff in. You don't know what's going on."

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