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What we know about the triple stabbing in College Hill

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What we know about the triple stabbing in College Hill

A murder-suicide in College Hill left four people dead yesterday, including prominent foster parent and attorney Patricia McCollum. Here’s what we know:

Event

Cincinnati police say officers were called to McCollum’s home on Springbrook Drive on Thursday morning. They discovered 66-year-old Anthony Mathis was inside the home with a knife in his hand.

SWAT officers tried to negotiate with Mathis for hours, authorities said. When officers eventually entered the home, they found Mathis suffering from a self-inflicted stab wound, police said.

Patricia McCollum, 78, her adopted son DJ McCollum, 32, and Kaydence McCollum, 11, were found dead in the home.

Mathis was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he died.

The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office reported Mathis’ death as a suicide and the other deaths as homicides.

Who were the McCollums?

Patricia McCollum was a praised foster parent who took in more than 70 children for over twenty years. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Cincinnati.

DJ McCollum came to Patricia McCollum’s house when she was 7 years old. He suffered serious disabilities after surviving a fire as a baby. She adopted him, and as he grew up, he graduated from high school and went from being wheelchair-bound to using prosthetic legs and a walker.

Kaydence McCollum was a student at Parker Wood Montessori. Cincinnati police spelled his name differently in previous versions.

Cincinnati Public Schools released a statement Friday regarding his death:

“Cincinnati Public Schools mourns the death of Parker Woods Montessori School student Kaydence McCollum. We are aware of this tragic incident and continue to offer our sympathy and support to the family, friends, and school community. The district’s Crisis Intervention Team will be at the school today to provide necessary support. To students support.”

Authorities have not said how Kaydence McCollum is related to Patricia McCollum.

What caused the murders?

Investigators have not said what led to the killings. At the scene Thursday, Chief Teresa Theetge asked the public to seek help if their loved ones have mental health or addiction issues.

Court records show that Mathis was charged with felony strangulation last year in an incident that allegedly involved Patricia McCollum..

A Hamilton County grand jury ignored the felony charge. An additional charge of domestic violence, a misdemeanor, was dismissed for failure to prosecute, according to court documents. In domestic violence cases, it is common for charges to be dismissed because the victim wants to drop the charges or fails to attend hearings.

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