Mother's Disturbing Google Searches Revealed in Sons' Deaths

A mother who fatally stabbed her two sons in their beds exhibited a pattern of disturbing Google searches in the weeks leading up to the killings, including queries about death, body parts, suicide, divorce, and "mommy murderers." The details emerged as the woman faced the NSW Supreme Court over the deaths of her sons, aged 9 and 11.

Justice Richard Cavanagh ruled on Thursday that the woman was not criminally responsible for the deaths due to a mental health condition that impaired her ability to reason. Court documents indicate her mental spiral intensified in August 2024 after she learned her ex-husband was expecting a child with his new partner.

Her search history, beginning August 9, 2024, included terms like 'bodies' and 'suicide parents and kids.' On August 10, she viewed a news article about the murder of a 10-year-old girl. By August 15, her searches focused on 'Perth murder-suicide' and the 'Hart family murders,' referring to a 2018 incident where a couple drove their SUV off a cliff with their six adopted children.

During this period, the mother maintained contact with her ex-husband for co-parenting. However, by the end of August, her searches took a more ominous turn, including 'deadly knife injuries,' 'jugular veins,' and 'the danger of knife slashing.' Around this time, she purchased a knife set, intended as a Father's Day gift for the boys' father, which she left at the home.

By September 1, the day after the father received the knives, her searches included 'warning signs' of suicide. She met with a psychologist who noted her statements of feeling she had 'hit rock bottom' and that 'the world is not fair.' On September 4, she conducted searches such as 'knife wounds,' 'what does it feel like to get stabbed,' 'how do mums kill their children,' and inquiries about arteries.

Three days later, she searched 'Can you buy cyanide.' She sought hospital help for anxiety that night and was prescribed sleeping medication. Her ex-partner observed her anxiety the following day and stayed at the house with their sons.

On September 9, her searches at 7 a.m. were specifically about death or suicide by knife injuries. After dropping her children at school, she searched about overdosing on a sleep aid. In the afternoon, she requested her ex-partner purchase a packet of the drug for her. She subsequently searched 'when does the coroner get involved' and 'does suicide go to the coroner' before buying Prosecco.

After athletics training and dinner with both parents, the boys returned home with their mother around 8 p.m. and went to their respective bedrooms. Between 8:20 p.m. and 10:45 p.m., her internet history included searches for 'Most Infamous Alleged Mommy Murderers in History,' 'Bleeding to Death: Am I at Risk and How Can I Stop It,' and 'How To Respond When Your Child Says "I hate you."' Her final search at 10:45 p.m. was about a Melbourne mother who killed her three children and herself in 2021.

Later that evening, the mother used the purchased knives to kill her sons. Their bodies were discovered together in the older boy's room. Audio from a nearby residence reportedly captured a noise consistent with a young person screaming, and the drug doxylamine was found in both boys' blood.

The following morning, September 10, the mother made further searches about arteries. Detectives believe she then self-harmed before or during a bath. When the boys failed to contact their father and were marked absent from school, he went to their mother's house at 12:33 p.m. and found her semi-conscious in the bathtub. She told him, "I killed them."

She had left notes for her ex-partner and parents, expressing feelings of being a "boiling frog" and readiness for peace, stating she couldn't leave her boys alone in a "bad world." She wrote about her happiness as a parent and expressed hope for forgiveness.

The mother was hospitalized with self-inflicted injuries and subsequently pleaded not guilty to two counts of domestic violence murder. The Director of Public Prosecutions agreed to a special verdict of not guilty by reason of mental impairment, based on the assessments of three psychiatric experts who concluded her major depressive illness prevented her from knowing her actions were wrong.

Justice Cavanagh stated that the woman did kill her children but was not criminally responsible because her "major depressive illness meant she did not know that the act of stabbing them was wrong" and that she "could not reason... as to whether those acts, as perceived by reasonable people, were wrong."

The woman will be detained at a location determined by the Mental Health Review Tribunal, which will supervise her care and treatment and determine when she no longer poses a danger to herself or others.

If you or someone you know needs support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. In an emergency, call Triple Zero on 000.