Mother Kills Son in Hospital Room Before Taking Own Life

The mother and son were checked on around midnight and again around 2 a.m. when they were found dead.

The bodies of the mother, Lola “Tammy” Griffith, 27, and her son Helious were found by hospital staff during a routine check at about 2am (0800 GMT) at Cardon Children’s Medical Center, said Detective Steve Berry, a spokesman for the Mesa Police Department.

Police suspect the mother killed her child and then committed suicide.

Berry wouldn’t say what the 5-year-old was being treated for, citing patient privacy. While police have not disclosed how the boy passed away, Griffith had died from a fatal gunshot wound.

A mother of a patient at a suburban Phoenix children’s hospital took her son’s life before taking her own, police said. No others in the hospital were harmed during the incident.

Spokesman for Banner Health- the company that runs Cardon Children’s Medical Center, David Lozano said that “at no time were others impacted” by what he also called the “apparent murder-suicide”.

There were no visible metal detectors at the medical center’s entrance but a sign was posted prohibiting weapons and firearms. Officials said a Mesa police officer is assigned to the hospital in addition to security staff members.

The woman had reportedly been involved with the Arizona Department of Child Safety, though specifics on the case were unavailable. An update from October 13 written by Griffith said they had managed to raise only $5. The page features a 2014 photo of a smiling boy and a woman dressed in Halloween costumes.

The post also said the boy had dystonic cerebral palsy and had sound, odor and touch sensitivity as well as showing “extreme anxiety” when he saw a doctor or someone wearing scrubs, ABC 15 says. Griffith’s auto had recently blown its engine and she was asking for monetary help in order to replace it with a used vehicle. “Everything was kind of confined to that one room”, he said. “All I will say is she was an unbelievable woman and a great friend and I will miss her very much”, Nowak wrote to The Republic.