AutismWeb Forum

http://www.wmbd.com/news/default.asp?mo ... ws&id=6525

A Morton mother is behind bars tonight after being charged with
murdering her daughter. Police say the woman suffocated her three year old
child over the weekend. Karen McCarron is being held on two million dollars
bond in the Tazewell County Jail. Police say she placed a plastic bag over
her daughter Katherine`s head Saturday with the intent to kill her. Police
arrested her in Peoria today but won`t say where in the city. Katherine
McCarron died at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center Saturday. At the time,
Karen McCarron had told police she found her daughter unresponsive in bed
and then called 911. Police say she suffocated the girl somewhere else in
Morton and then brought her back home. Police say the daughter`s father was
out of town on a business trip at the time. They say McCarron did call 911
Saturday afternoon but they say the little girl was likely already dead.
"She did find her unresponsive in the bed and did call 911 to say her
daughter was in cardiac arrest not breathing," said Morton Police Chief Nick
Graff.
Katherine McCarron did have autism. Tazewell County state`s attorney
Stewart Umholtz says that did play a role in the murder but he wouldn`t
elaborate or say anything else about a motive. Police say there is no
history of abuse in the family. Katherine McCarron did have a two year old
sister. Police say she`s now with her father.

Follow-up Report:

Morton Mother Confesses

http://www.wmbd.com/news/default.asp?mo ... ws&id=6530

A Morton mother confessed to killing her three year-old autistic
daughter. Karen McCarron said that she wanted to "end her pain and the pain
of her daughter Katherine." On Saturday McCarron took her daughter out of
the house and put a plastic bag over her head until she stopped breathing.
McCarron then took her daughter back to their home and called 911. The child
was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. McCarron was taken
to the hospital shortly afterwards when relatives called 911 because they
feared for their safety. After arriving at the hospital McCarron confessed
to the death of her child saying "I killed her. let's just leave it at
that." Tazewell County State's Attorney Stewart Umholtz says he will not
seek the death penalty; McCarron has been charged with two counts of first
degree murder.


>From Someone Who Knows the Family.

Note: This note is from Cindy Peters, who is with The Mariposa School
for Children with Autism in Cary, North Carolina.

Katie was a student at our school from Oct 2004 until April 2006. I
know the family well. She was living down here with her dad while her mom
and sister were still in Illinois. But living apart like that was a terrible
strain on the family, and the decision was made to reunite everyone. I
honestly don't know what happened with Karen, but I will tell you that both
parents were doing everything they could think of to try to help her. Karen
spent hours focusing on researching biomedical treatments and she struck me
as somebody who loved both of her children very deeply. Paul focused on the
educational side of things. They really seemed to be a good team for her. He
was going to be moving back up at the beginning of June, once his transfer
went through. This has been very tough for everyone to come to grips with.

OMG This tragedy definately brings on the tears.

Heartbreaking..........

This is just so terribly disturbing. I get very hopeless feelings at times in regards to my son. But kill me first, please, before any harm would come to him. I don't know - some people just seem to have a mindset of killing anyone or anything that is suffering. I believe there is a purpose to suffering in our world. I dont' judge this mother, but it's a very frightening mindset.

I feel it also could stem from the attitude that if a child isn't perfect in every way, that they won't have a life of quality and meaning. As I say, it's really a dangerous attitude.

I've spoken with Dr. Karen McCarron about a month ago. We were introduced by a mutual friend. Dr. McCarron (a pathologist) was asking me for my experiences with the ------ protocol. (her daughter Katherine was not on the protocol).

What is shocking to me is that Karen seemed so level headed and positive... and a very loving mother. Other folks I know who have spoken with her say the same thing. Nobody could believe she did this... even now that she's confessed, it seems too surreal.

My wife and I were deeply saddened by this.

I'm sure this hits home more for you Erik, since you met this mom. Maybe she justed "snapped?" Even with all the everyday frustration (some days ARE HELL for all of us) we deal with I could never imagine harming on of my kids. Kill me, who cares but don't touch one of my babies.

There is probably a lot more to this story than we know from the reports - or even having met her, Erik. It is shocking news, but I am sure there was much, much more going on than just the autism.

I guess, but some mothers are so protective of their kids...that if they decide to end their own lives, they don't trust anyone else to raise them... so you get the occasional case like that woman in England on the bridge with her autistic child.

Karen McCarron's case is... I can't figure it out. She MUST have snapped, as you said, but she wasn't suicidal herself. Did she figure she could LIVE with what she's done...and try to get away with it? Of course not. I don't think there was any rational thought put to this. Just a fit of desperate passion.

Unless she's protecting someone else... but I wouldn't think so.

I never actually MET her in person... just a few emails and a phone conversation. She was a friend of FAIR's medical director, Dr. Ayoub... and pretty friendly with Julie, our research director (with whom she's had several phone conversations). She is such a smart lady... and caring person/loving mother who knows so much about biomed, I had actually thought to invite her to JOIN FAIR!

Yup... not anymore.

I am wondering if she had undiagnosed emotional disturbances... or if she had been and was getting medicine for it...did she suddenly go OFF an antidepressant? (which is dangerous.)

Erik,

I am sending you good thoughts today. Sorry to hear about this tragedy, which touched your life.

Thank you, that's very thoughtful. This is as surreal and hard to accept to me as Liz Birt's death was. Although I had only met Liz Birt once and spoken to her on the phone a few times, she was a personal hero of mine.

So much tragedy in such a short period of time. This year, we hear about the 30 year old autistic man who died after being tasered by police and sedated by paramedics following an autistic meltdown at a group home. (in my home town...)

Then there was Tami Giles's adult NT daughter who died... as many of you know, Tami is an autism activist in Washington State who successfully lobbied for banning thimerosal in vaccines in Washington.

We're such a tight knit community... any tragedy affects us all. I enjoy the positive stories we've been hearing on network news lately... such as the boy who scored 20 points in a high school basketball game... or those feel-good fluff pieces on T.V. this week... not very helpful... but it's nice to hear something GOOD happen in the autism community after all this death and heart-ache.

You know that sudden hit of despair ... it happens in people ...
My mom, about 3 years after my dad's death suddenly attempted suicide ... strange, she had never shown signs of it so far.
I dont know if snap is the word, and if so I hope there is a un snap following it ... atleast in my mom's case.
Cool.
Srinath.

"Snap" is a good word. There are thresholds of tolerance related to stress... beyond which people completely break down. Like a twig bearing too much weight. "SNAP!" It's a good analogy. I am praying for Karen and her family.

"There, but for the grace of God, go I"


Our thoughts are with the family
and anyone touched by this

WD

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
'twas blind but now I see.

That simple hymn has always brought me comfort. Because when life becomes impossible, the hands of GOD are wide open to help us when we need it.

This is Awful,

1st, God must have needed this child with him for a reason.
2nd, I can understand this mothers despair but not her actual ability to hurt her child. We have all suffered some kind of depression over our children’s (special problems)
At one time or another. But, we cannot be ashamed to seek help, first to God and then either a friend or professional. I think we all know that it can get hard sometimes & it takes a special person to do what we do for our kids. (I use to hate it when someone said that)

Love to everyone and our kids,
May God bless us all!

Erik or anyone else,

I have heard two different rumours regarding which clinic Karen McCarron's daughter was being taken to in North Carolina. One person thought Buttar and one thought Dr. John Pittman, of the Carolina Center for Integrative Medicine. One of the journalists quoted a friend of Karen's as saying that Katherine she was not benefitting from the treatment she got at the clinic and had recently regressed. I think it would be good if we knew who the McCarron's had been seeing so as to take that into account if we are choosing physicians, that is if anyone happens to know who the McCarrons were seeing. I am relieved to know she was not seeing the -------S.

It wasn't Buttar's clinic. She never mentioned Buttar to me. I think it was a school or academy that gave behavioral therapies. It wasn't a biomedical clinic at all.

It was the Mariposa School for Children with Autism

http://www.mariposaschool.org/

My son attended the mariposa school at the same time katie was there. We left some time ago and I don't recall whether or not we met katie or her parents.

I've been hesitant to post anything, as this is a small community, so without going into specifics, I'll just say that I think the school was founded with good intentions by a mom who truly wants to help children with autism. For us, it was not the right fit for a number of reasons, though I've met several parents who were quite happy there.

I don't know what to say other than this is just so sad and so tragic.

I think that's about the only thing universally agreed upon. There are those who demonize Karen McCarron...and those who feel compassion, despite the horror of her crime.

But everyone feels this tragedy deeply.

Kevin Leitch dedicated a blog to the topic -- I found it touching, especially the video of his own daughter at the end. Maybe we can learn from Katie, even though she's gone.

http://www.kevinleitch.co.uk/wp/index.php?p=371