Odessa Carey, in hospital for mental illness post 2019 decapitation of her mother, maintains her innocence.
Her mother, also Odessa Carey, died at home. They found her body in Ashington. The mother was 73 years old and her head had been cut off.
Carey may have carried her mother’s head and might have hidden it at a friend’s house. Her brother, Lawrence Crook, still loves her and does not blame her for what happened.
Lawrence hopes his sister will get better and visits her in the hospital. He is sad that Carey has not accepted what happened adding that she needs to face the truth to recover.
Lawrence says it will be hard for her, but he is not angry because of her illness. He wants to help her understand and they need to help her realize the truth.
The family tried to get Carey help for years due to her mental health problems since she was a child. Her behavior got worse before her mother died, where she thought her real mother was missing and believed someone else had taken her place.
Lawrence feared Carey might hurt their mother and feels his worries were ignored. After going to the hospital, they diagnosed Carey with schizophrenia.
Lawrence thinks Carey is now getting good care, although he is sad it took a tragedy for help to arrive. He saw his sister in December at the hospital where she knew him, but still did not grasp what happened.
“She recognised me straight away,” he said, adding she hugged him because he is her brother. She was herself, yet still believed it wasn’t her mom and still believes what she believes.
Doctors might change Carey’s medication which could help her understand reality. Subsequently, she might move to a less secure hospital. One doctor said she has a long way to go.
It hurts Lawrence to see her still unaware. Doctors will try new medication which could help her face reality. If she takes her medicine, she could move hospitals.
Lawrence wants people to stop judging people and not stigmatize them for mental illness. It is an illness, he stated, and they need treatment.
He noted how her behavior changed due to illness, adding that they are ill people, not bad ones and she would give anyone the shirt off her back. Families need education and also help because her personality switched suddenly.