LEE COUNTY, FL – A Florida woman and her husband are facing serious criminal charges after authorities say the woman orchestrated and carried out an attempted suicide pact which involved their son who is a vulnerable adult. Authorities claim the woman administered sleeping pills to her son and husband and proceeded to slice their throats with a box cutter.
On November 3rd, Lee County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the home of 59-year-old Barbara Bates located along the 700 block of Almelia Street E. in Lehigh Acres after receiving a call about an attempted suicide. When deputies arrived at the residence, they reportedly found Barbara along with her husband, 64-year-old Neil Bates, and their disabled adult son suffering from various lacerations to the neck and wrists.
Emergency medical aid was rendered and all three survived, but it’s what detectives learned about a purported suicide pact which has led to felony charges against Barbara and Neil.
When investigators questioned Barbara about the alleged suicide pact, she reportedly told authorities that her husband and adult son, who is diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, came to a consensus that the three would take their own lives in light of an impending eviction from their home.
Authorities claim Barbara admitted to planning the act “over a period of months,” allegedly attempting to acquire a firearm unsuccessfully before settling on the method of sleeping pills in conjunction with the lacerations.
“Barbara obtained sleeping medication with the sole intent of distributing it to her family,” the probable cause statement relating to the case reads, further noting, “and then utilized a bladed instrument to lacerate her husband's and son's throats with the intent of ending their life.”
While Barbara was seemingly a bit more forthcoming with authorities on her alleged level of orchestrating the near-fatal affair, Neil allegedly told investigators that it was their son who “was the one wishing to die and that they all eventually came to consensus to participate.”
On the day of the incident, authorities say Barbara ventured to a local grocery store to “purchase the final family meal of steak,” with the three sitting down to watch the Stephen King movie “The Long Walk” before the unsettling act took place. Whie the trio watched the movie, investigators say Barbara began distributing sleeping pills to her son and husband before finishing off the remaining pills herself.
Once the movie finished, Neil allegedly produced a box cutter, first attempting to slice his own neck before Barbara allegedly intervened because “she did not believe the cut was deep enough,” leading to her reportedly cutting Neil’s throat herself. “To speed the process,” the probable cause statement reads, “Barbara lifted Neil's right arm and cut two parallel lacerations to increase the flow to avoid clotting.”
Authorities say Barbara then slit her son’s neck and throat from the bottom of his left ear down toward the larynx, reportedly watching her husband and son bleed out for approximately 40 minutes before cutting her own wrists. Investigators claim the time Barbara waited between the act and calling 911 was in the hopes of not being able to be resuscitated.
When investigators spoke with the couple’s son, he reportedly told investigators that he “became nervous after feeling his father's blood saturate his right arm,” and when his mother began cutting his throat, he admitted that he “no longer want[ed] to participate” in the alleged suicide pact.
Barbara has since been charged with attempted murder and aggravated child abuse, whereas Neil was charged with criminal attempt to commit a life felony and aggravated abuse of a disabled adult. The duo is both being held without bond.
On November 3rd, Lee County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the home of 59-year-old Barbara Bates located along the 700 block of Almelia Street E. in Lehigh Acres after receiving a call about an attempted suicide. When deputies arrived at the residence, they reportedly found Barbara along with her husband, 64-year-old Neil Bates, and their disabled adult son suffering from various lacerations to the neck and wrists.
Emergency medical aid was rendered and all three survived, but it’s what detectives learned about a purported suicide pact which has led to felony charges against Barbara and Neil.
When investigators questioned Barbara about the alleged suicide pact, she reportedly told authorities that her husband and adult son, who is diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, came to a consensus that the three would take their own lives in light of an impending eviction from their home.
Authorities claim Barbara admitted to planning the act “over a period of months,” allegedly attempting to acquire a firearm unsuccessfully before settling on the method of sleeping pills in conjunction with the lacerations.
“Barbara obtained sleeping medication with the sole intent of distributing it to her family,” the probable cause statement relating to the case reads, further noting, “and then utilized a bladed instrument to lacerate her husband's and son's throats with the intent of ending their life.”
While Barbara was seemingly a bit more forthcoming with authorities on her alleged level of orchestrating the near-fatal affair, Neil allegedly told investigators that it was their son who “was the one wishing to die and that they all eventually came to consensus to participate.”
On the day of the incident, authorities say Barbara ventured to a local grocery store to “purchase the final family meal of steak,” with the three sitting down to watch the Stephen King movie “The Long Walk” before the unsettling act took place. Whie the trio watched the movie, investigators say Barbara began distributing sleeping pills to her son and husband before finishing off the remaining pills herself.
Once the movie finished, Neil allegedly produced a box cutter, first attempting to slice his own neck before Barbara allegedly intervened because “she did not believe the cut was deep enough,” leading to her reportedly cutting Neil’s throat herself. “To speed the process,” the probable cause statement reads, “Barbara lifted Neil's right arm and cut two parallel lacerations to increase the flow to avoid clotting.”
Authorities say Barbara then slit her son’s neck and throat from the bottom of his left ear down toward the larynx, reportedly watching her husband and son bleed out for approximately 40 minutes before cutting her own wrists. Investigators claim the time Barbara waited between the act and calling 911 was in the hopes of not being able to be resuscitated.
When investigators spoke with the couple’s son, he reportedly told investigators that he “became nervous after feeling his father's blood saturate his right arm,” and when his mother began cutting his throat, he admitted that he “no longer want[ed] to participate” in the alleged suicide pact.
Barbara has since been charged with attempted murder and aggravated child abuse, whereas Neil was charged with criminal attempt to commit a life felony and aggravated abuse of a disabled adult. The duo is both being held without bond.
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