JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. — A community in Festus is starting to navigate life without two of their youngest members after authorities said two young children died Tuesday at the hands of their mother.
"Nobody is prepared to hear about a mom killing her children," Behavioral Health Response Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Bart Andrews told 5 On Your Side. "It is incredibly painful and for some of us we may have intense emotional reaction to that. Those emotional reactions for you are very normal to this very unusual, abnormal event."
For those impacted by the loss, Andrews said to start with those emotions by talking to friends and family, but keep these points in mind:
- How are you sleeping? If your sleep is disrupted more than a couple of nights, seek a help from a professional.
- Are you able to focus? Are you able to do your normal activities? If you've struggled with daily life for a few days, seek help from a professional.
The 988 crisis line is not only for people with suicidal thoughts; Dr. Andrews said it is an option for anyone looking for mental healthcare.
"What's really important to recognize is these are natural feelings in response to a very unnatural event," Andrews explained. "We are instinctively protective of children, we are hard wired to protect children and when bad things happen to innocent children, it impacts all of us in a way that we are often not prepared to deal with."
To assist first responders and witnesses, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office sent their two mental health coordinators to the scenes in Festus and De Soto where the children were found.
"On the scene, my first goal is to find out who was the initial responders and find out the details on their roles, so I can understand the impact of the trauma they experienced," Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Mental Health Coordinator Austin Schwent tells 5 On Your Side.
On Tuesday, Schwent went to the Timber Creek Resort and his partner Lisa Flamion went to Festus. First responders at both locations had found a child dead.
Flamion said services on the scene are not therapy, but they can help alleviate physical manifestations of mental trauma. In her experience, people who have just encountered a traumatic situation will, "be a little antsy, their heart rate is going to be high, maybe their blood pressure, maybe there's headaches, maybe there's physical symptoms they're not aware of."
Flamion and Schwent's services on the scene will expand in the next few days, weeks and months. First responders will be given group and personal therapy options.