Home Life Style Mental health system ignored 40-year-old woman’s plea before her son and nephew were allegedly stabbed in tragic family attack

Mental health system ignored 40-year-old woman’s plea before her son and nephew were allegedly stabbed in tragic family attack

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Mental health system ignored 40-year-old woman's plea before her son and nephew were allegedly stabbed in tragic family attack

A Louisiana man, Ryant Jones, 31, has been charged with stabbing to death three members of his family, including a 1-year-old child, in what relatives describe as a tragedy related to untreated mental health issues. . The murders occurred Thursday at a home in Amite, Louisiana, according to the St. Helena Parish Sheriff’s Department.

The victims have been identified as Rhonda Powell, 40, her 10-year-old son Braylon and her 1-year-old nephew Hayden. Relatives revealed that Jones, a relative of the victims, had been experiencing a mental health episode just a day before the tragedy, reported WAFB.

TO gofundme set presented by the family claimed that Jones suffered from schizophrenia. Family members reported that he had been taken to a medical center for treatment the day before the murders. Rhonda Powell’s cousin, Deondra Robertson-Warner, shared her concerns: “We requested that he be admitted and held because he was showing signs of aggression toward his brother.

“They didn’t think it was a good idea to send him home.” Robertson-Warner further explained that the family pleaded for Jones to receive specific treatment. “A family member…begged the doctor to give him the injection that normally works. Instead, the doctor gives him a pill,” he told PeopleJones was sent home shortly afterward.

The tragedy unfolded on Sawmill Road near Tangipahoa-St. Helena parish line shortly before 5 pm Thursday. Officers responding to a domestic disturbance call discovered the gruesome scene. Jones was arrested and booked into the St. Helena Parish Jail charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

“This was a horrible tragedy,” said St. Helena Parish Sheriff Clay Chutz. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims, all the first responders who worked during this tragedy, and the entire community.” Family members have expressed frustration over the system’s inability to adequately address Jones’ mental health needs.

“If I had been engaged, I would be where I needed to be today and the other members of my family would be alive…those babies would be alive,” Robertson-Warner lamented. One neighbor reflected on the shock within the community.

“Man, it was just terrible because it was too close to home. “I never thought something like this could happen, something like this, here near my house,” they told Fox 8. The devastating incident has highlighted ongoing concerns about mental health care and its impact on community safety.


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