James King,
A Pennsylvania mom whose insanity defense allowed her to beat the rap in the slayings of her two sons was found dead in a canyon in northern Arizona over the weekend. Authorities think the death might be a suicide.
Meghan Lippiatt, 35, of Mount Joy, Pennsylvania was found dead Saturday in the wreckage of her white Volkswagen minivan. The wreckage was found crashed in a canyon -- about a two-hour hike from the closest road -- in Navajo County, Department of Public Safety officials say. Authorities say she may have been dead for nearly a week before she was found by tourists.
Lippiatt killed her two sons -- Silas, 2, and Myles, 4 months -- in 2004.
She told authorities that her "children were possessed by a demon" and that "she was possessed and the only way to save all of them was to end their lives." Lippiatt suffocated Myles, then drowned Silas in a tub.
She was found not guilty by reason of insanity after a nonjury trial in December 2007.
Following the verdict, a psychiatrist examined Lippiatt and found her to be competent for release. She went to live with her parents in Pennsylvania, despite prosecutors' demands that she be institutionalized.
Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves tells New Times that it's unclear what Lippiatt was doing in Arizona, but says it appears she may have been to the scene of her death before.
"She knew what she was doing when she came here," he says. "[The area where she was found] is so remote it would be very hard to find without knowing where it is."
Graves wouldn't speculate about whether Lippiatt came to Arizona to kill herself.
The Navajo County Medical Examiner will determine a cause of death after an investigation.
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| Meghan Lippiatt, found insane following murder of two sons, was discovered dead in a rural part of Navajo County. |
Meghan Lippiatt, 35, of Mount Joy, Pennsylvania was found dead Saturday in the wreckage of her white Volkswagen minivan. The wreckage was found crashed in a canyon -- about a two-hour hike from the closest road -- in Navajo County, Department of Public Safety officials say. Authorities say she may have been dead for nearly a week before she was found by tourists.
Lippiatt killed her two sons -- Silas, 2, and Myles, 4 months -- in 2004.
She told authorities that her "children were possessed by a demon" and that "she was possessed and the only way to save all of them was to end their lives." Lippiatt suffocated Myles, then drowned Silas in a tub.
She was found not guilty by reason of insanity after a nonjury trial in December 2007.
Following the verdict, a psychiatrist examined Lippiatt and found her to be competent for release. She went to live with her parents in Pennsylvania, despite prosecutors' demands that she be institutionalized.
Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves tells New Times that it's unclear what Lippiatt was doing in Arizona, but says it appears she may have been to the scene of her death before.
"She knew what she was doing when she came here," he says. "[The area where she was found] is so remote it would be very hard to find without knowing where it is."
Graves wouldn't speculate about whether Lippiatt came to Arizona to kill herself.
The Navajo County Medical Examiner will determine a cause of death after an investigation.
a tragic end to a difficult life. its only 2 years since she was released and she is not responsible for poor mental health services.
ReplyDeleteHer ex husband is now devastated for a second time