Mother Kills Children

What causes a mother to do the unthinkable…kill her own precious children? That is what detectives are trying to determine right now as they investigate why a young, 25 year old, NY mother drove her van off a ramp into the Hudson River with her four children in the back seat.

She and three of her children died in the submerged vehicle, that reportedly went under right away. However, her 10 year old son managed to escape the van by going out the van’s window, before it went under the water, and swim to safety. The boy tried to get help, but as got to shore and turned around, all he saw was the van disappear into the water. It only took a couple of minutes for it to sink. He went to a fire station located near the scene and told them what happened.

The van was located in 45 degree water 8 to 10 feet deep and 25 feet off shore. Inside were the bodies of the woman and her three children ages 5, 2 and 11 months. The woman lived only 6 blocks from the tragic scene. The police learned that there had been a domestic argument only 10 minutes before the woman got into the van. The police were called, but by the time they arrived she and the children were gone. Neighbors reportedly told police that she was a loving mother who cared for her children and also had a job.

I cannot imagine what kind of despair this woman must have been feeling to commit this horrific act. A mother’s first instinct is to protect her children at all costs, even with her own life if necessary. The details of what caused the argument that precipitated this event have yet to be reported, but whatever the serious matter of the domestic dispute, it will be trivial compared to its aftermath.

I cannot imagine being ten years old and living through such an experience. This poor boy’s life will be forever affected by what happened in those few minutes, one night of his life. He lost his whole family in the blink of an eye. It’s unimaginable. I just hope he will get the help he needs for as long as he needs it, so he can go on to live a full life and not be haunted by this memory the rest of his life.

Stories like this are beyond disturbing and even incomprehensible. Today, it’s hard to think about anything else.