A suicidal mother has been charged with murder for killing both her children before a failed suicide attempt Saturday morning.Many autism activists may object to the next line, about what may have "driven" the suspect.
Marilyn Edge, 42, of Scottsdale, AZ., tried taking her own life in a car accident in Costa Mesa, CA before telling responding cops they would be able to find her 13-year-old autistic son Jaelen Edge and 10-year-old daughter Faith in a nearby hotel room. The young childrens' bodies were discovered just after 8:30am at a Hampton Inn in Santa Ana.
The cause of death for both children has not yet been made public, nor have their causes of death. Their identities have been revealed by MailOnline. Ms Edge previously sued the federal government alleging her son developed autism after a vaccination.
It is not clear what brought the doomed trio to the California town, about 40 miles south of Los Angeles, but a review of court records by MailOnline is starting to piece together part of what may have driven Ms Edge to Saturday's tragic events.
The doting mother sued the Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2004, alleging a vaccination gave her son autism, court records showed. The case was dismissed only last year.
Citing a lack of medical records supporting Ms Edge's claim, and the lack of a valid medical opinion to further bolster it, Chief Special Master Patricia Campbell-Smith dismissed the suit for 'insufficient proof.'
Ms Edge was awarded a judgement in the amount of $7,692 to settle legal fees owed for the suit. It is not clear if or when she ever received that money.
From The Kalamazoo Gazette:
"I think there certainly is a divide, and there has been for some time," said Ari Ne'eman, president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network in Washington, D.C. “The picture of autism that has been presented in the public eye is not consistent with how we see ourselves."
He said recent murder and attempted murder of autistic children “are the quintessential example of that.”
Autistic people deserve the same protection under law, he said, and “we are profoundly concerned when groups try to present murder as justified or understandable on the basis of the victim’s disability.”
