Lawmakers, civil attorneys, and family advocates say Scott and Tina Turk should not have lost their lives at the hands of their mentally ill adult son.
PEORIA, Ariz. — A renewed push for changes to Arizona’s mental health system is gaining momentum following the deaths of a Peoria couple, allegedly at the hands of their adult son—an outcome advocates and officials say reflects deep systemic failures.
Scott and Tina Turk were killed in what authorities said was an attack allegedly carried out by their 29-year-old son, Jonathan Turk. In the days since, lawmakers, civil defense attorneys, and family advocates have pointed to the case as a tragic example of missed opportunities to intervene.
Across the board, those familiar with the system share a similar sentiment: the warning signs were there, but the resources were not.
“Honestly, not surprised,” Republican state senator Hildy Angius of Mohave County said.
Rachel Streiff, co-founder of Arizona Mad Moms, echoed the senator’s sentiments: “Sad, but not surprised.”
Streiff said cases like this are not isolated. According to her organization, at least 17 caregiver or parent homicides have occurred in Arizona over the past five years.
“The fact is that we are asking parents and caregivers to take care of people who should be in psychiatric hospitals,” Streiff said.
Advocates said families often recognize when a loved one is a danger to themselves or others, but face significant barriers when seeking help. A lack of available psychiatric beds, they argue, leaves many without options for long-term, supervised care.
Even when individuals are admitted for treatment, their stays are often brief.
“There is heavy pressure to discharge patients home to families or back out to the community,” Streiff said. “Even though we don’t know if the medication works, even though they’re not stable… the system is just so broken.”
Court records show Scott and Tina Turk filed multiple mental health petitions regarding their son. However, what actions—if any—resulted from those filings remains unclear. Medical records tied to such cases are not publicly accessible, making it difficult to determine whether Jonathan Turk was ever ordered into treatment or required to take medication.
Under Arizona law, judges must find “clear and convincing evidence” that a person poses a danger to themselves or others before ordering involuntary treatment. Legal experts said that the standard can be difficult to meet.
“If the person can prove that they’re not a danger to themselves or others, the judge is likely to favor the person who’s fighting the petition,” civil attorney Ben Taylor explained.
That legal threshold, combined with limited treatment capacity, has left some families feeling powerless.
Now, some lawmakers are proposing changes. Angius has introduced legislation aimed at expanding the number of psychiatric beds statewide and creating programs for long-term care of individuals with serious mental illness.
“We just can’t kick the can down the road anymore,” Angius said. “Now we know the problem. And if somebody dies again, like this poor couple, the blood’s on our hands, because we know it’s going to happen.”
Streiff also pointed to the broader financial and societal costs of untreated mental illness.
“Jonathan Turk is going to cost our state millions of dollars—not to mention the tragedy of losing two wonderful individuals because of his untreated illness,” she said. “Imagine if we had systems in place to prevent this, to act early, and the capacity and the funded system to do it.”
Without expanded services, advocates warn, many individuals with serious mental illness cycle between short-term treatment, incarceration, or living with family members who may be unequipped to manage their care.
In some cases, they say, those situations can turn deadly.
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