An Ohio community is in mourning after a “hero” foster mom, who took care of more than 70 children over two decades, was stabbed to death by an apparently suicidal man who also killed her two children.
The murders unfolded Thursday in a home located in Cincinnati’s College Hill section.
Patricia McCollum, 77, was found dead from numerous stab wounds inside her home. Police also found the bodies of her disabled son, 32-year-old DJ McCollum, and Kaydence McCollum, the 11-year-old daughter she adopted.
Neighbors called 911 after hearing a commotion coming from the home.
Police also located the body of Anthony Mathis, 66, inside the home. He was taken to the hospital with several self-inflicted stab wounds, and died not long after arriving in the emergency room.
Cops have yet to say how McCollum and Mathis may have known each other.
But Cincinnati.com reported Mathis was charged a year ago with strangulation during a domestic violence incident involving McCollum. He was accused of grabbing her around the neck and lifting her from the floor.
A grand jury failed to indict, and the charges were dismissed for a lack of prosecution.
A motive for the killings, if known, has not been released.
A GoFundMe campaign was started by family to help cover funeral costs.
The site reported McCollum took in more than 70 foster kids over the past two decades.
According to the fundraising page, McCollum “was a hero” who “advocated for foster youth, trauma victims, the disabled, and teen parents by being a founding board member of Rosemary’s Babies Co.“
The page also claimed she was the first black woman to work as a cocktail waitress “bunny” at Cincinnati’s Playboy Club.