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Kansas Woman Charged with Giving Kids Meds to Kill Them
Mom faces capital murder charges for giving her kids non-prescribed meds.
A mom has been accused of giving her three children non-prescribed medication with the intention of killing them. As The Kansas City Star reports, 37-year-old Therese Roever of Olathe, Kansas was charged with one count of attempted capital murder.
Roever made an initial court appearance on Wednesday. She was wearing a suicide smock or safety suit, according to the Star. It's unclear what was the impetus for this.
Roever has three children: a 9-year-old daughter, who has a twin brother, and another 7-year-old son. As CBS News reports, Roever and the child's father were involved in a lengthy custody battle as part of a long divorce proceeding that began in March 2015. The ex-husband was given primary custody after the couple finally divorced in 2016.
The case surfaced onto authorities' radar when on Monday, when Roever asked for medical attention in their home. As Fox4KC reports, the 911 dispatcher said that Roever called and admitted to wanting to harm her children.
“The wife is now on the phone," the dispatcher said. "She says it was intentional. It was a drug overdose. There is no weapons." Authorities said that Roever told them information indicating her children had taken a substance "meant to harm them."
The mom was arrested after police were called to her home. The children, as well as the mom, were taken to the hospital.
The children’s father, John, declined to comment on the incident but in a statement through his attorney said that the children are in his care and recovering.
Fox4KC reported that at least one of the kids is out of the hospital and at home with the father.
It is not known what the intention behind the alleged medicating was. Daily Mail reports that it may have been as revenge for the custody battle.
Roever remains incarcerated. She has a bond of $1 million. CBS News reached out to Roever's attorney, Sarah Carmody, for comment on the incident but she said that she is not accepting calls from the media at the moment.
Roever is slated back in court March 1.
[Photo: Johnson County Sheriff's Office, Facebook]
