Claire Scanlon, a woman with terminal cancer, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for attempting a murder/suicide with her five-year-old son, Dylan, by overdosing on antidepressants. When Scanlon’s kid stopped breathing and moving at 6:15 p.m. on December 31, 2021, she called her uncle. She had written a message saying she wanted to die with him after police apprehended her.
Huntington’s disease, a degenerative and incurable disorder that impairs mental capacity, ran in Scanlon’s family.
Mrs. Justice Yip, the judge, blasted Scanlon’s actions, saying that they provided “no justification” for her murdering her child.
Although she may not live very long, she maintained that Scanlon’s congenital disease did not justify or explain her behavior. Gary Keenan, Dylan’s father, has spoken of his heartbreak at the prospect of never again seeing his son. He thanked his loved ones for being there for him and his loved ones when they needed it most.
Dylan, a ‘cheeky, adventurous’ little child, was declared dead three minutes after paramedics arrived at his home in Oldham, Greater Manchester. Experts said he may have been killed by the antidepressant medicine and the 64 injuries discovered by pathologists.
Scanlon claimed to EMS that she had checked on Dylan every 15 minutes before his death and that he had fallen from the ladder leading to her attic the day before. She was detained, and a note was recovered that said, “Don’t let them see us. Just cremate us.”
This was used as evidence that she intended to die with him. According to the jury’s findings, this offers nothing to justify or explain Dylan’s murder.
The mother was given a ‘death sentence’ since she had inherited Huntington’s illness from her mother. The jury concluded that this did not justify or explain Dylan’s murder.
Gary, the father, has spoken publicly about the loss of his son and his appreciation for the love and support he has received from friends and family members.
The family thanked the Crown Prosecution Service and Greater Manchester Police for their assistance during the investigation and trial.
