Woman Overwhelmed By Needs Of Autistic 11-Year-Old Son, Reportedly Tried To Cut His Head Off
A woman overwhelmed with taking care of her 11-year-old son who has autism reportedly tried to decapitate him.
The Miami Herald is reporting that Kristina Petrie, 46, felt she had failed in raising the child and feared the 11-year-old boy and his brother would grow up to be liabilities in society.
The March 12 incident happened after her autistic son returned from school and went upstairs to play video games. According to investigative reports, his 46-year-old mother entered his room with a bow saw and asked why he was not doing his homework. When the boy said that he was going to do it later, his mother reportedly went berserk.
The report revealed that Petrie allegedly pinned her son down, sat down on his back and moved the teeth of the bow saw back and forth against the 11-year-old boy’s neck multiple times. Authorities say the boy managed to grab the bow saw from his mother before running away.
At some point, the child’s father showed up and with the help of a neighbor took both his wife and child to the hospital. Fox 5 is reporting that the boy had cuts on his left shoulder, red splotches on his back, small cuts on his fingers, broken skin, and scabbing.
During Kristina’s medical evaluation, the Maryland mom purportedly told hospital staffers that she had done the unthinkable, but added that she had no regrets and would try to kill her kid again.
She has been charged with child abuse and attempted first-degree murder. She has a court date April 20. Strangely, Petrie’s attorney told the Idaho Statesman that his client’s intention was never to harm her 11-year-old son.
NEW: Mother allegedly tries to decapitate 11yo son w/ bow saw, claims she felt "overwhelmed."
Police say 46yo Kristina Petrie of Aspen Hill "jammed" teeth of saw against son's neck, "moving it back & forth multiple times."
The boy (who has autism) managed to escape mid-attack. pic.twitter.com/ybVH9FjD3h
— Kevin Lewis (@KevinLewis7News) March 28, 2018
Kristina Petrie is undergoing further medical evaluation and is being held without bond.
She is not the only one that has been accused of neglecting or abusing developmentally challenged children. Two Wisconsin parents were convicted of locking their 13-year-old autistic child in the basement of their home from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. every day. The unfinished basement had no toilet or sink.
In addition, the 13-year-old girl was forced to wear diapers, banned from sitting on furniture and nicknamed “stink,” by her parents. An anonymous call had alerted authorities to the residence where the young girl was being “treated like an animal.”
Fox 6 is reporting that the parents were convicted on three counts of causing mental harm to a child. The father got three years in prison, while the mother got a probationary sentence.
Last December, Steven Cuff abandoned his intellectually challenged son on the side of the road after alleging that he had grown fed up with the “36-year-old man with the mental capacity of a two-year-old.”
Cuff was charged with one count of aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult, Fox 13 reported.
