'Hero' foster mom, her adopted daughter, 11, and disabled son, 32, victims of horror murder-suicide

A foster mom, her disabled lad and adopted 11-year-old girl were killed successful a murder-suicide connected the outskirts of Cincinnati connected Thursday.

Pat McCollum, 77, was a pillar of the spot successful the assemblage and described arsenic 'a section hero' arsenic she had fostered much than 70 children implicit a play of 20 years.

She was recovered dormant alongside her adopted lad DJ McCollum, 32, and Kaydence McCollum, 11, successful the College Hill country of the metropolis aft constabulary received aggregate calls from acrophobic neighbors.

By the clip constabulary officers arrived, suspect Anthony Mathis, 66, had retreated heavy wrong the location - inactive equipped with a knife. 

It led to a SWAT squad being summoned but they were stalled by Mathis and were forced to negociate with him for respective hours earlier they were capable to get wrong the home.

Mathis was recovered with self-inflicted weapon wounds, portion the McCollum's had died from stab wounds. 

Investigators person not said what led to the killings but tribunal records amusement seen by Cincinnati.com show that that Mathis was charged with felony strangulation successful an alleged incidental involving Patricia past year.

Mathis was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center but aboriginal died from his ain injuries. 

Hamilton County's Coroner Office reported Mathis's decease arsenic termination portion the different deaths are being treated arsenic homicides. 

DJ had been adopted by Pat McCollum erstwhile helium was young child, astatine the property of seven. 

He was severely disabled portion inactive a babe aft an older kid dropped a lit lucifer into his crib. He was near with burns crossed 85 percent of his body, mislaid each of his limbs and was wheelchair bound. 

McCollum yet adopted him astatine the property of 10 successful 2002 and persisted with his recovery. Eventually she was capable to spot DJ locomotion connected prosthetic legs and postgraduate from Woodward High School. 

There was specified a beardown enslaved betwixt her and DJ that during an interrogation successful 2012, said she expected him to unrecorded with her for the remainder of her life.

'Either I dice first, oregon helium does. I volition ne'er abstracted from him,' she said.

McCollum, a longstanding subordinate of New Jerusalem Baptist Church, specialized successful caring for children with peculiar needs.

She adopted astatine slightest 4 children successful the much than 2 decades for which she had been a foster parent.  

Such was the acquisition she had gained looking aft children she went connected to thatch astatine assemblage wherever she would bid caller foster parents. 

She herself attained a bachelor's and master's degrees successful societal enactment from the University of Cincinnati.

McCollum, who ne'er married, had fostered much than 70 children implicit the people of 2 decades and adopted astatine slightest four.

She was besides a longstanding subordinate of New Jerusalem Baptist Church, according to her pastor, Rev. Damon Lynch Jr.

'She was a large parent and bully to children,' Rev. Damon Lynch Jr. said to The Enquirer, noting however she would often get with respective children on broadside her.

Other members of the assemblage praised McCollum for what she did.

'Ms. Pat genuinely impacted truthful galore lives; advocating and caring for hundreds of children successful foster care, adopting, loving and continuing to emotion and enactment those children and their families aft they went backmost home,' wrote Amy Marie connected Facebook.

A GoFundMe page has been acceptable up to assistance wage for the burials of the 3 who were killed.

'Memaw, Pat for the People, Patricia McCollum, societal worker, Guardian Ad Litem, advocate, trauma trainer for some City and state, and a trainer of foster parents,' a tribute to her reads. 

'She was a friend, a erstwhile teen mom, the archetypal achromatic playboy bunny successful Cincinnati; She was a hero. She advocated for foster youth, trauma victims, the disabled, and teen parents by being a founding committee subordinate of Rosemary's Babies Co. 

'She was the President of The Black Social Workers and a subordinate of POCWA. She helped to licence 1,000s of foster parents. 

'She lived her beingness serving and loving; this is her LEGACY. She leaves this life, little than a week from her 78th birthday.'