Police Say Mom Drugged, Tried To Kill 4 Children
WATERFORD TWP. (WWJ) - Police believe a Waterford Township woman found dead in her garage planned to kill herself and her children.
The four adopted children of Shanda Yenglin, ages 10, 11, 13 and 14, are now recovering from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Waterford Township Police Chief Daniel McCaw said investigators believe the 37-year old mother made the children drink milkshakes laced with either sleeping pills or painkillers before telling them to get into the family van in the garage to stay warm.
When police Monday morning responded to a 9-1-1- call from one of the children, they found the home thermostat set at 53 degrees. The van was running in the garage, which was closed. Yenglin was dead. The children were rushed to the hospital.
Chief McCaw called it a tragic situation.
"It looks like she was setting the stage to take her life and the children's... Setting the temperature down, making sure the cat was taken care of, putting them in the van, giving them milkshakes with sleeping pills and pain medication to sedate them," he said.
McCaw said police don't yet have any indication as to why the mother did what she did. The investigation continues.
