Man Charged With Murdering His Mother Dies After Choking On Wet Toilet Paper

A man charged with murdering his mother and setting her body on fire choked to death on wet toilet paper in his jail cell in Massachusetts on Sunday, Oct. 2.

Officers and the fire department reportedly responded to a house in the Truro area of Cape Cod for a wellness check and reports of a fire at around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30. When the officers responded to the scene, they discovered 69-year-old Susan Howe’s remains, still ablaze, on her front lawn, New York Post reported.

Seeing the officers, a male subject identified as the victim's son Adam Howe, 34, ran into the house and locked the door behind him. After Adam barricaded himself inside the home off Quail Ridge Road, the SWAT team was summoned to breach the home. The team forcibly extracted him and placed him under arrest.

Following his arrest, Adam, who experienced difficulty breathing, was transported to Cape Cod Hospital, for a psychiatric evaluation and medical officials cleared him to return to custody, People reported.

Adam's discharge papers from the hospital noted that he had expressed "suicidal ideation" while at the hospital.

After being discharged from the hospital, he was transported on Saturday afternoon to Ash Street Jail, where supervisors put him on security watch and did a visual check every 15 minutes.

Despite the precautions and constantly being observed, Adam obstructed his airways with wet toilet paper and suffered a medical emergency. Following this, Adam was rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, where he was pronounced dead on Sunday, Oct. 2.

“Mr. Howe clogged his airways with wet toilet paper and suffered a medical emergency,” a statement from spokesman Jonathan Darling of the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office said.

“Out of respect for the family, we have no additional comment or detail. That family has been through a lot this weekend. Please keep them in your prayers.”

Adam was previously arrested for breaking into a business in Truro, Massachusetts in August. In addition to this, he was also charged with possession of Suboxone, which is used to treat opioid addiction, without a prescription.

Adam's mother Susan was the president of the Truro Historical Society.

“Susan brought immense creativity, energy, time, and passion to our organization,” the Truro Historical Society Board of Directors said in a press release. “She loved Truro, and was totally committed to preserving our history and culture and the well-being of her beloved town.”