The grandmother accused of killing her twin grandsons had become overwhelmed with caring for them in recent weeks, a family member told police.
That's according to newly released court documents in the case that reveal details into the family life of twin 8-year-old boys who were found dead in a home on Tucson's west side last week.
Dorothy Lee Flood, 55, was arrested Friday and charged with the murder of Jorden and Jaden Webb, who had autism and were nonverbal.
According to a search warrant filed in Pima County Superior Court, Virginia Webb -- the boys' great grandmother and Flood's mother -- first came upon the devastating scene last week. Police interviewed her and recounted what she told them to a judge.
Webb reportedly lives next door to the home on West Kessler Place where Flood lived with the two boys and told police they had a good relationship. She said Flood had confided with her in feeling "overwhelmed" with caring for the boys, especially in the last six weeks. Webb told investigators she didn't believe Flood would hurt the boys and said she hadn't heard Flood make any suicidal comments.
Webb told police that when she first arrived at their home at around 7:30 a.m. Thursday, she found Flood sleeping on a mattress in the living room, where she normally slept. She didn't hear the boys at the time, and went home.
Webb said she came back to the home a few hours later, at 11 a.m., and found Flood still asleep on the mattress. She still didn't hear the boys again, and started to feel concerned, but decided to come back later.
At 2 p.m. when Webb returned, she says she found Flood lying face down on the living room floor, incoherent, and called 911.
After paramedics arrived and began treating Flood, Webb decided to check on the boys in their bedrooms. She found them there, "cold to the touch and stiff," but didn't see any obvious signs of trauma on their bodies. When she told paramedics what she found, they removed her from the house.
Police say Flood had taken a large amount of an unknown prescription medication in a suicide attempt. She was treated at a hospital and later arrested on two counts of first-degree murder.
Police later determined the boys were shot multiple times in the head an torso. Detectives also found a .22 caliber pistol in the home, along with a box of ammo.
