'Hero' foster mom, her adopted daughter, 11, and disabled son, 32, victims of horror murder-suicide

A foster mom, her abnormal boy and adopted 11-year-old girl were killed successful a murder-suicide connected nan outskirts of Cincinnati connected Thursday.

Pat McCollum, 77, was a pillar of nan spot successful nan organization and described arsenic 'a section hero' arsenic she had fostered much than 70 children complete a play of 20 years.

She was recovered dormant alongside her adopted boy DJ McCollum, 32, and Kaydence McCollum, 11, successful nan College Hill area of nan metropolis aft constabulary received aggregate calls from concerned neighbors.

By nan clip constabulary officers arrived, suspect Anthony Mathis, 66, had retreated heavy wrong nan location - still equipped pinch a knife. 

It led to a SWAT squad being summoned but they were stalled by Mathis and were forced to discuss pinch him for respective hours earlier they were capable to get wrong nan home.

Mathis was recovered pinch self-inflicted weapon wounds, while nan McCollum's had died from stab wounds. 

Investigators person not said what led to nan killings but tribunal records show seen by Cincinnati.com show that that Mathis was charged pinch felony strangulation successful an alleged incident involving Patricia past year.

Mathis was taken to nan University of Cincinnati Medical Center but later died from his ain injuries. 

Hamilton County's Coroner Office reported Mathis's decease arsenic termination while nan different deaths are being treated arsenic homicides. 

DJ had been adopted by Pat McCollum erstwhile he was young child, astatine nan property of seven. 

He was severely abnormal while still a babe aft an older kid dropped a lit lucifer into his crib. He was near pinch burns crossed 85 percent of his body, mislaid each of his limbs and was wheelchair bound. 

McCollum yet adopted him astatine nan property of 10 successful 2002 and persisted pinch his recovery. Eventually she was capable to spot DJ locomotion connected prosthetic legs and postgraduate from Woodward High School. 

There was specified a beardown enslaved betwixt her and DJ that during an question and reply successful 2012, said she expected him to unrecorded pinch her for nan remainder of her life.

'Either I dice first, aliases he does. I will ne'er abstracted from him,' she said.

McCollum, a longstanding personnel of New Jerusalem Baptist Church, specialized successful caring for children pinch typical needs.

She adopted astatine slightest 4 children successful nan much than 2 decades for which she had been a foster parent.  

Such was nan acquisition she had gained looking aft children she went connected to thatch astatine assemblage wherever she would train caller foster parents. 

She herself attained a bachelor's and master's degrees successful societal activity from nan University of Cincinnati.

McCollum, who ne'er married, had fostered much than 70 children complete nan people of 2 decades and adopted astatine slightest four.

She was besides a longstanding personnel of New Jerusalem Baptist Church, according to her pastor, Rev. Damon Lynch Jr.

'She was a awesome mother and bully to children,' Rev. Damon Lynch Jr. said to The Enquirer, noting really she would often get pinch respective children on broadside her.

Other members of nan organization praised McCollum for what she did.

'Ms. Pat genuinely impacted truthful galore lives; advocating and caring for hundreds of children successful foster care, adopting, loving and continuing to emotion and support those children and their families aft they went backmost home,' wrote Amy Marie connected Facebook.

A GoFundMe page has been group up to thief salary for nan burials of nan 3 who were killed.

'Memaw, Pat for nan People, Patricia McCollum, societal worker, Guardian Ad Litem, advocate, trauma trainer for some City and state, and a trainer of foster parents,' a tribute to her reads. 

'She was a friend, a erstwhile teen mom, nan first achromatic playboy bunny successful Cincinnati; She was a hero. She advocated for foster youth, trauma victims, nan disabled, and teen parents by being a founding committee personnel of Rosemary's Babies Co. 

'She was nan President of The Black Social Workers and a personnel of POCWA. She helped to licence 1,000s of foster parents. 

'She lived her life serving and loving; this is her LEGACY. She leaves this life, little than a week from her 78th birthday.'