A suicidal Cobb Marine veteran killed her three children in January by suffocating them with masks made of plastic bags and masking tape, according to autopsy results released Thursday.
The autopsy findings of Justin Medina, 10, Kai Holmes, 4, and Faith Holmes, 10 months, essentially brings to a close the case of Kisha Holmes, who killed her children before killing herself inside the family's Cobb apartment. She was pregnant with her fourth child at the time of the murder-suicide.
The reports by the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s office said Faith’s body was found in her crib on Jan. 27. The bodies of her two brothers were found in bed together, facing each other. The medical examiner report said the investigation found no signs of outward trauma to the children, but there was evidence to suggest that Justin, the oldest, may have resisted attempts at being smothered. His mother may have turned to strangling him, the report said.
His cause of death is listed as asphyxia “due to suffocation/strangulation.” Cause of death for the younger children is asphyxia by suffocation. Investigators found the two masks made of plastic bags and duct tape hidden in a closet. The masks had what appear to be the outline of a face.
Kisha Holmes, 35, had gone through a veterans homeless program in late 2013 and had moved to the Austell apartment on a voucher program. In the months before her death, veterans officials called her a "high risk" for suicide. Friends, family and others who knew her considered her a loving mother and they expressed shock by her final act.
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