CLYDE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Preliminary findings indicate a mother shot her 10-year-old son before taking her own life at their Allegan County home, according to the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies discovered the bodies of Elisha Mulcahey and her son Daniel inside the home Wednesday, authorities said.
Sheriff Frank Baker said Daniel had been pulled from Fennville Public Schools and was recently being home-schooled.
“I know they’ve been trying to track down the father, and as of [Thursday], they had been unsuccessful,” Baker said.
Court records obtained by FOX 17 show Elisha’s mother petitioned for mental health treatment for her daughter just two days before deputies found the bodies. In the filing, she wrote that Elisha had made concerning statements, was believed to have stopped taking prescribed medication and had access to firearms inside the home.
A judge signed an order directing officers to take Elisha into protective custody for a mental health evaluation.
Baker said deputies were at the home Wednesday to carry out that order.
“There had been a couple attempts, I think one or two attempts, to pick her up prior to us arriving Wednesday,” Baker said.
When deputies arrived Wednesday, they “began to suspect maybe there was something suspicious,” Baker said. “So they actually went around the home and were able to look into a window where they could actually see something. And after seeing what they saw, they then forced entry into the home where they found the individuals deceased.”
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Mental health petition filed days before Fennville mother, son found dead, records show
Investigation Continues
Baker said investigators are treating the case as a homicide until it’s officially closed, even though initial findings point to murder-suicide.
“We’ll continue to analyze the evidence. We’ll await autopsy results, toxicology results, and everything that we would do just like it was a homicide,” Baker said.
The notification of the father has been turned over to the medical examiner’s office, Baker said.
The sheriff’s office is working with Fennville Public Schools through their school resource officer to provide support to staff and students.
Allegan
Allegan County double death was murder-suicide by mom, says sheriff’s office
Mental Health Resources Available
Baker encouraged anyone experiencing a mental health crisis to seek help.
“Obviously, it’s a true tragedy when you see something like this happen,” Baker said. “We obviously encourage anyone who is experiencing a mental health crisis… or feeling thoughts of suicide, to reach out. There’s resources out there in our county, we have On Point, which is a community mental health. Please reach out if you’re feeling that way.”
Baker explained that anyone can petition probate court when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis. A judge can then provide an order for law enforcement to pick up the person for evaluation.
“It’s obviously important, if you’re aware of somebody in your family that is in a crisis, to maybe consider that, because it does allow us the opportunity to evaluate them,” Baker said.
If you or anyone you know is struggling, please reach out. You can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for support.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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