Fla. mom accused of killing her 3 young children
ORLANDO, Fla. - All three of the children who police on Florida's east coast say were strangled by their mother last week are dead.
Palm Bay, Fla. police said in a statement Monday that 5-month-old Christopher Swist was pronounced dead Sunday night.
Officials say 7-year-old Laci McCarty and 6-year-old Philip McCarty were taken to area hospitals and pronounced dead Friday night. According to CBS affiliate WKMG, authorities say all of the children had been strangled and one had also been drowned.
Jessica Lacey McCarty chose to remain in custody under a special medical watch when she appeared in court Sunday to face charges of two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
Authorities say the 33-year-old called 911 Friday night and said she had killed her children and cut her own wrist and neck, WKMG reported.
The 5-month-old's father also called 911 after investigators say McCarty texted him pictures of a bloody scene in her home.
When authorities responded to the woman's Palm Bay home they say they found her in the front yard carrying a knife, and then found her three children unresponsive.
The station reports authorities found notes written by McCarty in the home, including one addressed to her family apologizing for "what she had to do."
Police Chief Mark Renkens has said police had prior interactions with McCarty but did not elaborate.
Neighbors said the family moved to the quiet neighborhood about six months ago.
According to records and a representative with the State Attorney's Office, McCarty pleaded guilty after she was arrested for stealing four prescription pads and passing prescriptions for controlled substances while working as a certified nursing assistant in 2013.
Florida Today reports she was sentenced to two years of community control and drug court, but failed a drug test almost immediately and was sent to the county jail for a week.
The newspaper reported she was sentenced to six months in county jail after failing another drug test.