Cincinnati foster mom, foster son killed in triple homicide

CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Three people were found dead in a College Hill home Thursday after a SWAT standoff, according to Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Teetge.

According to police, the suspect was found with stab wounds and taken to a hospital, where he later died.

The victims have been identified as 78-year-old Patricia McCollum, 32-year-old DJ McCollum and 11-year-old Kaydence McCollum.

Patricia was a foster mom and her foster son, DJ, was disabled, our media partners from Cincinnati Enquirer.

“Either I die first or he does,” she said. “I will never part with him,” said Patricia the questioner in 2012.

Pat McCollum and her adopted son DJ, 2012.(Cara Owsley/Cincinnati Enquirer | Cara Owsley/Cincinnati Enquirer)

According to Cincinnati Public Schools, Kaydence attended Parker Woods Montessori School.

“We recognize this tragic event and our sympathies and support remain with the family, friends and school community. The district’s crisis response team will be at the school tomorrow to provide support to students, officials said.

Police were called to a home on Springbrook Drive near the intersection of Montevista Drive around 8:30 a.m. Thursday for an “unknown issue,” police spokesman Lt. Jonathan Cunningham said.

When police arrived, they were told a man armed with a knife was inside the home, Lt. Cunningham said.

SWAT were called when the gunman “backed off”.

Chief Teetge said negotiations continued for several hours before the team went inside.

Police found three victims dead with what appeared to be stab wounds.

The suspect was found alive with self-inflicted stab wounds at a home on Springbrook Drive, the chief said.

Police identified him as 66-year-old Anthony Mathis.

He later died at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Chief Teetge did not say whether the victims and the suspect are related.

Mathis is accused of murdering three people. He later died in hospital from self-inflicted injuries... — Mathis is accused of murdering three people. He later died in hospital from self-inflicted stab wounds.(Cincinnati Police Department)

“The last thing she said to us was ‘I love you, Rose.’ I’m ready to get back to work. And she said I’ll be with you until I take my last breath,” Rosemary Oglesby-Henry said.

Oglesby-Henry was six when she met Patricia, and today she is chief executive of Rosemary’s Babies, a charity for teenage mums which Miss Pat helped set up.

“She won’t be able to see us actually open the door for our first parent. She will not be able to hug the first person who walks into the room like her. These powerful hugs. She will never know the impact of the lives she has changed through Rosemary’s Babies and the 200 children she has fostered,” said Oglesby-Henry.

Rosetta Davis says she has lived in the area for more than 20 years.

In those two decades, she said, situations like the one she saw Thursday are rare.

“We’ve only had one situation like that and it ended well, but it’s really scary,” Davis explained.

Another local, Miss Kim, said she had lived in Daly Road for decades and was good friends with Patricia McCollum.

“If you were struggling and couldn’t pay the bills, she was going to take you in,” Miss Kim said. “She never said no to anyone. She wasn’t the type of person to tell you no. She will help you no matter what.”

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