Photo: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
A mother serving time for overdosing her two young daughters died by suicide in prison.
According to PEOPLE, the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, & Reentry (ADCRR) said 38-year-old Retta Cruse, who was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder, died on February 21 from an "apparent act of self-harm by hanging.”
Officials said Cruse was found unresponsive in her unit at Perryville Prison. Prison staff “conducted life-saving measures until paramedics arrived." Responding parademics and medical staff pronounced Cruse dead at the scene.
Cruse was admitted into custody in 2022 after she was sentenced in connection with the death of her daughters, Aleyah, 9, and Royal, 4.
In September 2021, police responded to a report from the father of the children, who said they were deceased in his Phoenix apartment. Authorities found the two girls unresponsive in a bed and Cruse barricaded in a bedroom with self-inflicted knife wounds.
Investigators determined that Cruse had given her children prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications to sedate and overdose them intentionally. According to court documents, Cruse said she committed the crime after losing a custody battle over her elder daughter, Aleyah.
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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