A New York City cancer doctor killed herself and her baby in her home early Saturday, police said.
Dr. Krystal Cascetta, an oncologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, shot her baby and then herself at their home in Somers, a town about 50 miles northeast of New York City, around 7 a.m., New York State Police said.
State police said that “the scene is consistent with a murder/suicide.”
It is unclear how old the baby was.
Trooper Steven Nevel said he was not permitted to release more details but said: “We know, 100%, without a doubt, that it was a murder-suicide.”
Nevel said the 911 call came from someone inside the residence, who, upon hearing the first gunshot, rushed to the baby’s room, thinking something had fallen. The unidentified caller heard a second gunshot before arriving at the room, broke down the locked door and found the dead mother and baby inside, Nevel said.
According to Mount Sinai’s website, Cascetta treated breast, bone, gynecological and gastrointestinal cancers. She worked as site chief of the Mount Sinai Queens Infusion Center, a treatment center for cancer and blood disorders, and as an assistant professor of medicine in the hematology and medical oncology division at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Cascetta graduated from Albany Medical College, where she was inducted into a national honor society “for demonstrating excellence in humanistic clinical care, leadership, compassion and dedication to service,” according to her Mount Sinai webpage. She had also been studying for a master of health administration degree at Cornell University as of last year.
A spokesperson for Mount Sinai Health System said in a statement: “The Mount Sinai community is greatly saddened by the tragic loss of a Mount Sinai Health System doctor and her child. We extend our deepest sympathies to Dr. Cascetta’s family, friends, colleagues, and patients.”
If you are pregnant or a new mother and you are in crisis, the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline provides free, confidential support 24/7 in English and Spanish. Call or text the hotline at 833-TLC-MAMA (833-852-6262).
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
