Tragic Incident: Mother Commits Suicide in Prison
A distressing event unfolded recently as a mother incarcerated in Arizona for the heinous crime of murdering her two young daughters was discovered lifeless in her prison cell. Retta Cruse, a New Jersey native serving two life sentences, was found deceased on February 21 at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Perryville, a suburb of Phoenix. The Arizona Department of Corrections officials revealed that Cruse had taken her own life by hanging and despite efforts to revive her, she could not be saved.
The heartbreaking turn of events stems from Cruse’s admission of fatally drugging her children, Aleyah McIntyre, aged 9, and Royal McIntyre, aged 4, shortly after relocating from Pleasantville, New Jersey, to Arizona in 2021. Tragically, the bodies of the innocent siblings were discovered by their father in the family’s Phoenix residence on September 9, 2021, positioned facing each other on a bed.
In the wake of this unimaginable tragedy, a GoFundMe campaign was initiated to support the burial costs of Aleyah and Royal McIntyre, underlining the family’s move to Arizona for supposed “spiritual reasons.” Cruse, aged 38, having pleaded guilty to the horrendous murders, was sentenced in 2022, ensuring she faced two consecutive life terms for her unfathomable actions. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and local news outlets confirmed the unfortunate demise of Cruse by hanging, marking a grim conclusion to this devastating chapter.
