The Marine veteran who killed her three children was approximately 15 weeks pregnant with a fourth child at the time she hanged herself in the family’s Cobb apartment in January, according to an autopsy report released Tuesday.
Kisha Holmes detailed in a journal her plans to end her life and she had a history of “mental problems,” according to the Cobb County Medical Examiner autopsy report. Holmes cause of death was listed as hanging, but the report noted that she had small cuts on her neck that had been bandaged when her body was discovered.
The baby she was carrying was a boy and investigators estimated Holmes was in her second trimester of pregnancy, based on the size and measurements of the fetus. Investigators still have not released the final autopsy results for Holmes’ three children, Justin, 10; Kai, 4; and Faith, 10 months. Investigators have said there were no outward signs of trauma or violence to the children, but investigators have released no other details about about how Holmes killed them.
Holmes, a veteran, had been receiving treatment from the Atlanta VA Medical Center. Clinicians at the center had identified her as a high risk for suicide and she had missed two mental health appointments in December.
The AJC detailed Holmes' life and death in a front page story Sunday. The article revealed that Holmes, 35, carried a difficult personal secret in the months leading up to her death. She had been diagnosed HIV-positive and had told a friend that she was having good days and bad days. The autopsy is silent about this medical condition, but mentions prescription medications that were recovered at the apartment.
The case made national news after the family’s bodies were discovered by a maintenance worker Jan. 27 inside Apartment 505 of the Walton Crossing apartments in Austell. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., referenced Holmes case on the Senate floor last month as he was urging colleagues to support a bill to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs suicide prevention efforts.
Isakson also requested the VA's Inspector General to investigate the case and the VA's treatment of Holmes. Up to now, the VA has refused to discuss Holmes case or say if it failed her or her family. There are 300 veterans in the Atlanta area that the VA has identified as a high risk for suicide. They are deemed the most severe risks for harming themselves and the VA has protocols it is supposed to follow in these cases. Holmes family has said they've struggled to get answers from the VA.
The autopsy on Holmes does not explain the details of the history of mental problems mentioned in the report. Investigators found the journal she’d written that “included among other things, her plans to finish her life.”
Cobb Police are continuing to investigate the case. In the month and a half since the deaths were discovered, the agency has closely guarded details of its investigation and has released almost no information about the case or what caused Holmes to carry out her final act. Cobb Police declined an interview request on Tuesday.
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