It was supposed to be a happy day, but as Kaydence McCollum got ready for school, her College Hill home turned into a mess. On her 11th birthday, she and two other people were stabbed to death.
Willa Harney, the girl’s birth mother, said, “She was the best thing that ever happened to me.” “She made my life better.”
Kathryn McCollum, 32, and D.J. McCollum, 32, were adopted by Pat McCollum, 78. They were all killed with knives on Springbrook Drive early Thursday morning.
An 66-year-old man named Anthony Mathis went on a killing spree and stabbed several people before killing himself.
In April 2023, a police report says that Mathis is married to Pat McCollum. That report predicts the most recent violence.
Police arrested Mathis and said he attacked Pat McCollum and held her by the neck while she was on the ground. The charges were dropped. Pat McCollum’s family said he didn’t go to court about the case.
She said that Pat McCollum adopted her when she was 16 years old. She said it was the only mother she had ever known.
He said, “My mom wanted to believe that everyone, even the bad ones, could be good.” “He killed her after she gave him another chance.” He killed both her and D.J. as well. She died because of him.
Harney said that she lost her right to be a parent when she went to prison. She got out of jail in September after three years. Her job and work to get parental rights back were the things she talked about.
