PHOENIX – A Phoenix mother convicted of drugging and killing her two young daughters in 2021 has died in prison, allegedly by suicide.
Retta Cruse, 38, was found unconscious in her cell at Perryville Prison in Goodyear on Friday, according to an Arizona Department of Corrections press release. Prison staff attempted life-saving measures until emergency personnel arrived, but she was pronounced dead.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office is currently investigating the cause of her death.
Conviction for Killing Her Daughters
Cruse was sentenced to prison in 2022 after being convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of her daughters, 4-year-old Royal McIntyre and 9-year-old Aleyah McIntyre.
On September 8, 2021, police discovered the girls unresponsive in their north Phoenix home, near 13th Street and Mountain View Road. Authorities say Cruse had used a combination of prescription and over-the-counter medications to drug her children, causing fatal overdoses.
When officers arrived, they found Cruse locked inside a bedroom with self-inflicted knife wounds. She was treated at a hospital before being taken into custody on September 14, 2021.
Her conviction marked the end of a chilling case that left many in shock. However, with her sudden death behind bars, questions remain surrounding her final moments.
