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Katherine “Katie” McCarron

July 22, 2003 - May 13, 2006

“She was a beautiful, precious and happy little girl. Each day she was showered with love and returned that love with hugs, kisses and laughter. Katie loved music; she would fill in some of the words in children’s songs as my wife would sing along with the CD that would be playing, their own version of “karaoke” . She liked to dance, she loved to do the “hooky poky”. She loved being in among flowers and tall grass. She would say “I like grass”. She enjoyed the zoo and because of all of the drills and flashcards she could identify the animals. Which I thought was pretty amazing for such a young child. She was also the only little child in her non-autistic play group that could identify an octagon. My wife and son had a party for her the day they heard that from the teacher.”

~ Mike McCarron (Katie’s Dad)

• Brogadir, Josh (May 17, 2006). Police: Mother confesses to suffocating daughter: Autism has impact on families.
• Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois (July–August 2006). “Katie McCarron“. Press release.
• Reynolds, Dave (May 24, 2006). Grandfather Says Girl’s Murder Had Nothing To Do With Autism.
• Liss, Jennifer (July 11, 2006). Autism: the Art of Compassionate Living. Wiretap Magazine.
• Reynolds, Dave (June 30, 2006). Police Accuse Mother Of Trying To Poison Daughter; Media Softens Approach Toward Victims.
• Reynolds, Dave (January 9, 2007). Board Suspends Dr. McCarron’s License Indefinitely. Inclusion Daily Express.
• Associated Press (January 17, 2008). Karen McCarron guilty: Jury finds woman who killed autistic daughter guilty on all charges.

Other Links:

• Memorial to Katherine (Katie) McCarron - Ballastexistenz
• The Katherine McCarron Memorial Grove
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• AutismVox: Beautiful, Precious and Happy: Katherine McCarron
• I Speak of Dreams: Katie McCarron’s Murder
• Karen McCarron Sentenced to 36 Years
• Karen McCarron’s Sentencing Delayed Until April 1
• A Tree for Katie
• Love and Hope, Not Hopelessness: Remembering Katherine McCarron

Karen McCarron is an Illinois physician who has admitted to smothering her autistic daughter Katherine ‘Katie’ McCarron to death.

A grand jury indicted her on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of obstructing justice and one count of concealment of a homicidal death.

McCarron went to trial on January 7, 2008 and after a week long trial, was convicted of first degree murder, obstruction of justice, and concealing a homicidal death on January 17, 2008.

Timeline

Karen and Paul McCarron’s first child was Katherine, diagnosed with autism in 2004. In September of that year, Paul and Katie moved to North Carolina to live with her paternal grandmother. This move was made so Katie could attend Mariposa School in Cary, North Carolina, a special school for autistic children.

Paul and Katie returned home to Illinois on holidays. Karen, who was a pathologist with the Peoria-Tazewell Pathology Group, stayed in Peoria with their younger daughter Emily, and visited North Carolina occasionally.

After 20 months, the family decided to return full-time to Illinois.

Paul McCarron took Katie to their home in Illinois on May 3, 2006. On May 7, 2006, Paul returned to North Carolina to fulfill the last three weeks of his work commitment. Katie remained in Illinois under the care of her mother and maternal grandparents, along with her younger sister. On the afternoon of May 13, 2006, Karen allegedly killed Katie by suffocating her in a plastic bag. In the very early hours of Sunday morning, Karen McCarron tried to overdose on over-the-counter medication.

Reaction

News articles and weblogs have emphasized the difficulties in raising a child with autism, and some suggested that McCarron may have been stressed by lack of support and dealing with Katie’s autism. Katie’s grandfather, Michael McCarron, said:

Some autistics have rallied in favor of a conviction of McCarron and Katie’s death garnered intense scrutiny within the autism rights movement and among disability advocates.

Autism Hub held a memorial on May 24 and the disability rights group Not Dead Yet led the charge to reveal the facts of the case. The local media is responding to advocates who criticize them for sympathic reporting towards alleged perpetrators.