Florida mother, 68, tried to kill her two autistic sons with medication overdose after husband's death, police say

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026.

Marilyn Elise Therrell, 68, of Kissimmee, told detectives she had intentionally given her adult sons a fatal dose of medication to end their lives, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said. She also attempted suicide in the same September 8 incident. All three were taken to hospital, and her sons remained there when charges were filed ten days later.

Therrell told investigators that her husband's death last year had made caring for her sons increasingly difficult, and that she was now their only carer.