PHOENIX — The woman convicted of killing her two young daughters in 2021 has died in prison.
On Friday, the Arizona Department of Corrections announced that 38-year-old Retta Cruse died from an apparent act of self-harm by hanging.
Officials say prison staff at the Perryville Prison in Goodyear found Cruse unresponsive in her housing unit. Staff attempted life-saving measures until paramedics arrived. She was ultimately pronounced dead.
Cruse was admitted into the prison in 2022 after being sentenced in Maricopa County for two counts of first-degree murder.
On September 8, 2021, 4-year-old Royal McIntyre and 9-year-old Aleyah McIntyre were found unresponsive in a bed at a home near 13th Street and Mountain View Road.
According to court documents, Cruse was found barricaded in a bedroom with self-inflicted knife wounds.
Investigators determined Cruse used prescription and over-the-counter medications to sedate and overdose the children.
She was booked into jail for two counts of first-degree murder on September 14, 2021, after being released from the hospital where she was treated for her wounds.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office is investigating Cruse's death.
Video in the player above includes previous coverage of this case.
