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A Florida woman is accused of trying to kill her two autistic sons by overdosing them on medication.
Marilyn Elise Therrell also tried to die by suicide by taking medication during the September 8 incident, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said, WOFL-TV reported.
Therrell, 68, of Kissimmee, was charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated abuse of an elderly or disabled adult on Friday, September 18, according to court records viewed by Us.
Deputies were called to a reported overdose at Therrell’s home on September 8, when they found Therrell, her 30-year-old son, and her 32-year-old son, Florida Today reported. All three family members were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Following Therrell’s release from the hospital on Thursday, September 17, she allegedly revealed what led to the overdoses.
“She admitted that since her husband died last year, it has become harder to take care of her adult sons,” the Osceola County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement to Florida Today. “She admitted to detectives that she purposely overdosed her sons on medication, in an attempt to kill them.”
Her sons were reportedly still hospitalized as of Friday, the day charges were filed against Therrell.
Before investigators spoke with Therrell, they had suspected the overdoses weren’t an accident after collecting evidence at her Kissimmee residence and conducting interviews with a family member and Therrell’s landlord, per WFTV.
Therrell was booked in the Osceola County Jail on Thursday, records viewed by Us show.
She’s being represented by the public defender’s office in Orlando. The office didn’t immediately return a request for comment from Us on Monday, September 21.
Therrell had her initial appearance on Friday, when prosecutors motioned for her pre-trial detention, according to court records. She was ordered to be held in custody.
A great-grandmother in central Florida was arrested after she was caught carrying out an apparent murder-suicide plot that involved her disabled great-granddaughter. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office shared in a news release that deputies started looking for Deborah Collier around 4:20 p.m. on Monday, December 29, after her family discovered a suicide note that she […]
Her bond was set at $50,000, jail records viewed by Us show.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said Therrell’s sons were expected to recover from their alleged overdoses, per Florida Today. Following their recoveries, they will be transferred to state custody.
Authorities didn’t publicly share the names of her sons.
Osceola County is located south of Orlando, in the Orlando metropolitan area.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
