Retta Cruse Dies by Suicide in Prison

Retta Cruse, a Phoenix mother serving life sentences for the murder of her two daughters in 2021, was found dead in her prison cell from an apparent suicide by hanging. Cruse, who had pleaded guilty to killing her daughters, Aleyah and Royal McIntyre, by drug overdose, had admitted to using prescription and over-the-counter medications for the act. Her conviction followed a custody battle, and she had inflicted self-harm when the police found her with the deceased children. Despite emergency efforts, she was pronounced dead at the Perryville Prison in Goodyear, Arizona. The Arizona Department of Corrections and the county medical examiner are investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.