FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/Gray News) – A mom in Alaska is accused of killing her 6-year-old son last week due to what investigators say were hallucinations caused by a depression medication.
Heather Alexie, 36, was arrested in Anchorage on Saturday and is now facing charges of second-degree murder, officials said.
The Fairbanks Police Department said that officers responded to a call on Friday related to a suspicious death at an apartment.
The caller told police that they had not heard from Alexie or her children for a while, and after entering Alexie’s apartment to check on the family, the caller found one of the children dead.
The caller told police the child had facial injuries.
Officers responded and found the 6-year-old dead inside the apartment.
Police said Alexie and her other child, a daughter, could not be found within the area, which prompted a search.
Concerned for the other child’s safety, police said detectives tracked Alexie’s cell phone using location data and determined that she was in the Anchorage area.
With help from the Anchorage Police Department, officers found Alexie at a home in an Anchorage neighborhood.
According to a police complaint filed Saturday, Alexie had recently begun having hallucinations as a side effect from a medication for depression and anxiety. The exact name of the medication wasn’t given.
The complaint stated that one night recently (but didn’t specify what day), Alexie hallucinated that her son “turned into something else,” began sounding like his father, and appeared to morph into a “skinwalker” – a mythological creature in Navajo culture which can disguise itself as an animal with malevolent intent.
Alexie said that her son started moving toward her and she was afraid he would hurt her, according to the complaint. She told officers that she “shook and fought” him and wrestled him until he wasn’t moving anymore. The complaint said Alexie left her son on the couch after seeing he was still breathing.
It wasn’t until the next morning that Alexie realized her son was dead, the complaint said. She stayed with her daughter in the house one more night before the two left to stay in a hotel the following night.
Alexie then caught a ride with a friend down to Anchorage with her daughter, where police later found her after receiving a tip from a person who recognized Alexie from a police bulletin.
Alexie’s young daughter also confirmed to police that her mom attacked the 6-year-old boy, the complaint said.
Alexie’s daughter is safe, police said. Alexie is facing charges of second-degree murder.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Fairbanks police at (907) 450-6565.
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