26-02-2025
Mom charged with killing son to 911: ‘It was out of love'
Editor's note: Details included in this article may be disturbing.
HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — In a call to 911, a Holland mother told a dispatcher that she killed her 17-year-old son 'out of love,' saying she and her son 'don't want to be here anymore.'
Katie Austin Lee is charged with the murder of her son, Austin Pikaart. News 8 on Tuesday obtained a recording of Lee's call to 911 from Ottawa County Central Dispatch through a public records request.
Police: Holland mom said she killed son to fulfill his death wish
The recording shows Lee called 911 at 4:15 a.m. Friday, sounding calm.
'Hi, I need an officer here immediately,' she said.
'My son won't stop breathing,' she said.
'He won't stop what?' the dispatcher asked.
'Breathing,' Lee said.
'He won't stop breathing?' the dispatcher repeated.
'Right,' Lee said.
Dispatchers sent on E. 16th St. near S. Waverly Road.
In the call, Lee told the dispatcher that she and her son had tried to die by suicide the day before by taking pills, but it didn't work.
'How much medicine did you guys take?' the dispatcher asked.
'A lot,' Lee said. 'We don't want to be here anymore. We don't want to be here anymore. We're done.'
Lee did not explain why the pair may have wanted to die.
Listen to the 911 call below.
'So is he asking you to, like, kill him?' the dispatcher asked, confused. 'I don't understand.'
'Yeah, that's what I've been doing since a while, and I can't get him to stop breathing,' Lee said.
'He is going to be 18 tomorrow, but he didn't want to turn 18,' she told the dispatcher.
She told the dispatcher she used a knife.
'Did you cut him?' the dispatcher asked.
'It got out of hand,' Lee said.
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She said her son told her not to take him to the hospital, so she cut his throat and one of his arms after he had passed out. She said he didn't feel anything.
'I didn't do this out of hatred. It was out of love,' Lee said. 'The world is not going to be OK for him.'
Within minutes, Holland police arrived. In the background of the call, they can be heard shouting at Lee to drop a knife.
The Holland Department of Public Safety says Lee refused to drop it, so officers used a Taser on her. She was taken into custody and taken to the hospital for treatment of a possible overdose.
Police say they found Austin Pikaart dead in the home.
On Monday, Lee was formally charged with his murder.
A GoFundMe account has been launched by family to help cover Austin Pikaart's funeral services.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, the national is available anytime by calling 988.
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