Andrea Faust, 41, was arrested and charged after police were dispatched to her Durham, N.C., home on Feb. 12 and found her two children unresponsive
Credit: Durham Police Department
NEED TO KNOW
- A North Carolina woman is accused of murdering one of her young children and attempting to kill another
- Andrea Faust, 41, was arrested and charged after police were dispatched to her Durham, N.C., home on Feb. 12 and found her two children unresponsive
- “I just want to let the court know this was a complete mental health crisis,” Andrea’s husband, Eric Faust, claimed during her first hearing
A North Carolina woman is accused of murdering one of her young children and attempting to kill another — and her husband has made a desperate plea to the court overseeing her case.
According to WTVD and WNCN, Andrea Faust, 41, was arrested after police were dispatched to her Durham, N.C., home on Thursday, Feb. 12, at around 5:30 p.m. local time, and found her two children unresponsive.
The outlets reported that both children were under 5 years old. One child died after being transported to a local hospital, WRAL reported. Investigators have not shared specifics about the homicide.
Andrea was charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder, the outlets reported.
Credit: Durham Police Department
Andrea was originally set to make her first appearance in court on Feb. 16, but she instead called in from a hospital bed after she attempted to harm herself, her husband, Eric Faust, said.
During her virtual court appearance, Eric made a public plea and asked his wife not to hurt herself again.
"Andrea, I’m begging you, please no more attempts to harm yourself," he told her, the outlets reported. "Work with your doctors. Work with anything you can. And I promise you, if you do that, I will let you know how [the surviving child] is doing as often as I can."
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The grieving dad also claimed that his wife had experienced a mental breakdown, and added that one of the children is expected to make a full recovery from his injuries.
"I just want to let the court know this was a complete mental health crisis," he said. "Anyone will tell you what a tremendous mother Andrea was. These were not the actions of my wife."
Credit: Al Drago/Getty
"Anybody watching this news, just take a moment to assess where you are mentally, where your family is mentally. Mental health is a very important thing. Please, just make sure everyone's OK," Eric continued.
Speaking with neighbors after the tragic death and injuries, WTVD reported that the two children were brothers, and they described the situation as "unbelievable."
"I knew she was under more stress than normal, but she was an awesome [mother], very nice, caring," one neighbor told the outlet. "Loved her children very much. So this is a great shock."
"It is just very unbelievable," she added.
A Durham County judge denied Andrea bond and ordered her to receive mental health services while she remains in custody. She is next set to appear in court on Tuesday, March 3.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
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