Tracy F. Johnson, 38, of Hoffman Estates, who previously had made threats to harm herself, is now facing charges of trying to kill her two young children by asphyxiation before she attempted suicide.
Johnson allegedly acted out of anger at the father of one child and said the man “was verbally abusive and did not take her problems seriously”.
She told investigators she did not want the children to see the man, who lived somewhere else, and said that “heaven was the best place for all three of them,”.
Local police say the children, a 5-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy, fortunately recovered and are with family.
Johnson appeared in bond court wearing a hospital gown, and was returned to a hospital after she was ordered held on a $2 million bond on two counts of attempted homicide.
Police officers who responded to the family’s apartment said they found the door blocked but were still able to enter.
When they got inside, they found Johnson unresponsive on the floor, with a strong odor of gas in the apartment. They then found the children inside. All three were taken to St. Alexius Medical Center for treatment.
Investigation revealed that Johnson, who has a master’s degree in counseling, powdered up prescription medications and put them into smoothies that she fed the children.
When the children refused the drink because of the taste, Johnson allegedly tried feeding them the medications with water. She then tied plastic bags over the children’s heads with rope and turned on the stove’s natural gas burners.
Johnson meanwhile texted her mother to say she loved her. The mother contacted another daughter, who then contacted authorities who quickly went to the apartment.
Authorities reported that in addition to finding Johnson unresponsive on the floor, the 5-year-old was unresponsive as well while the 2-year-old was stumbling with his eyes rolled back into his head.
The children tested positive for the drug benzodiazepam, a type of medication described as a tranquilizer and familiarly known as Valium and Xanax. Johnson herself tested positive for that drug as well as opiates.
Johnson is scheduled to be back in court June 1.
Source: Daily Herald
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