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Calgary Woman Diagnosed With Cancer Killed Adult Daughter With Down Syndrome

The Canadian Press, 01 Jan, 2016 02:50 PM
    CALGARY — A Calgary woman who gave a fatal dose of drugs to her 19-year-old daughter with Down syndrome can't be charged with a crime because she has since died.
     
    Police say Jessica Hagan was killed when she was given an intentional overdose by an older woman in the family's home in September.
     
    They say that woman was also found in medical distress and taken to hospital.
     
    Christine Hagan, who was 51, died on Nov. 21 of pancreatic cancer.
     
    Daniel Hagan wrote on his Tumblr social media account a week later about the deaths.
     
    He says his mother felt that she was the only one who could take care of his sister.
     
    "So she took her life and attempted to take her own," he wrote on Nov. 30.
     
    "She then spent her final days in a hospital bed with security outside her room until she became too weak and suffered from what I would assume is complete organ failure due to not eating or drinking the entire time."
     
    The body builder and personal trainer said he wanted to publicly write about what happened so he could move on with his life.
     
    "Losing my sister, my biggest fan, supporter, and greatest inspiration is a loss I know I will never truly recover from," he wrote in another post.
     
    He did not respond to a request for comment.
     
    Brian van Vliet said his sister, Christine Hagan, was diagnosed in May with stage 4 cancer and was extremely sick.
     
    "She was a wonderful person, very happy, family-oriented, very lively."
     
    He wouldn't say why he believes she killed her daughter. He said Christine Hagan had a husband at home and their son had also lived with them up until a few months before the killing.
     
    "You just have a normal family and then this series of tragic events takes place and it's just surreal," said van Vliet.
     
    He said Jessica was home-schooled and described her as a loving child.
     
    "Jessica was sunshine. She always brightened up the room," he said. "Everybody around her was always inspired by her."

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