Pennsylvania mom charged with murder in deaths of children found hanged, DA says ‘horrific’ case ‘hits us in the heart’
THE MORNING CALL |
DEC 02, 2019 | 1:40 PM
Lisa Rachelle Snyder, 36, was charged Monday in the homicides of her children, 8-year-old Conner and 4-year-old Brinley.
The charges include first-degree murder, third-degree murder, tampering with evidence, endangering the welfare of children, animal cruelty and sexual intercourse with a dog. According to court records, Snyder is being held in Berks County Jail without bail.
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He [John Adams] said during her arrest, Snyder had “little to no emotion.”
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He also said toxicology reports showed the children had no drugs in their system at the time.
Adams said Berks County Children and Youth was involved with the family and the children had been taken from Snyder in 2014 and returned to her in 2015. Adams said an investigation didn’t reveal any mistakes in the children being returned to their home.
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Adams said after Snyder called 911 saying she found her children hanging, Snyder never returned to the basement as paramedics worked to save them.
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According to court records detailing Snyder’s arrest:
Snyder had bought the dog lead the day before the children were found hanged and had picked it up from a Hamburg store that day. [..]
Authorities say one day before the children were found hanged in the basement, Snyder Googled “hanging yourself" and visited a website detailing an effective way of hanging a person. [..]
Snyder was interviewed by police on two occasions. She told police that Conner had been bullied because of his weight and had “lost 25 pounds since school started because he was starving himself.”
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Snyder said the day her children died, Conner came home from school and asked her if he could go “downstairs to build a fort.” She said Conner asked if he could use a dog lead on the table that she had just bought that day and she said yes. Snyder said as Conner went up and down the stairs, taking dining room chairs with him, she was putting laundry away and went outside for a cigarette.
Snyder told police after about 10 minutes outside, she went back to ask the children what they wanted for dinner and that’s when she found them hanging. Snyder said she tried to lift her daughter, who weighs about 40 pounds, but she told police when her “anxiety spikes,” she starts to sweat profusely and was unable to remove the dog lead. Snyder also told police she tried to lift her son, who weighs about 150 pounds, but was unable to.
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According to the affidavit, in the weeks leading up to the killings, Snyder sent at least three sexually explicit photos of herself engaged in sexual acts with a black and white dog to an unnamed person.
THE MORNING CALL |
DEC 02, 2019 | 1:40 PM
Lisa Rachelle Snyder, 36, was charged Monday in the homicides of her children, 8-year-old Conner and 4-year-old Brinley.
The charges include first-degree murder, third-degree murder, tampering with evidence, endangering the welfare of children, animal cruelty and sexual intercourse with a dog. According to court records, Snyder is being held in Berks County Jail without bail.
[..]
He [John Adams] said during her arrest, Snyder had “little to no emotion.”
[..]
He also said toxicology reports showed the children had no drugs in their system at the time.
Adams said Berks County Children and Youth was involved with the family and the children had been taken from Snyder in 2014 and returned to her in 2015. Adams said an investigation didn’t reveal any mistakes in the children being returned to their home.
[..]
Adams said after Snyder called 911 saying she found her children hanging, Snyder never returned to the basement as paramedics worked to save them.
[..]
According to court records detailing Snyder’s arrest:
Snyder had bought the dog lead the day before the children were found hanged and had picked it up from a Hamburg store that day. [..]
Authorities say one day before the children were found hanged in the basement, Snyder Googled “hanging yourself" and visited a website detailing an effective way of hanging a person. [..]
Snyder was interviewed by police on two occasions. She told police that Conner had been bullied because of his weight and had “lost 25 pounds since school started because he was starving himself.”
[..]
Snyder said the day her children died, Conner came home from school and asked her if he could go “downstairs to build a fort.” She said Conner asked if he could use a dog lead on the table that she had just bought that day and she said yes. Snyder said as Conner went up and down the stairs, taking dining room chairs with him, she was putting laundry away and went outside for a cigarette.
Snyder told police after about 10 minutes outside, she went back to ask the children what they wanted for dinner and that’s when she found them hanging. Snyder said she tried to lift her daughter, who weighs about 40 pounds, but she told police when her “anxiety spikes,” she starts to sweat profusely and was unable to remove the dog lead. Snyder also told police she tried to lift her son, who weighs about 150 pounds, but was unable to.
[..]
According to the affidavit, in the weeks leading up to the killings, Snyder sent at least three sexually explicit photos of herself engaged in sexual acts with a black and white dog to an unnamed person.