A fifth-grade Indiana teacher has been accused of keeping a “kill list” of students and made threats against them.
Angelica Carrasquillo-Torres, a teacher at St Stanislaus School in Indiana, allegedly told two students on Wednesday that she wanted to kill them and staff at the school before killing herself, the East Chicago Police Department said in a statement. The children are aged 11 and 12.
Students in Ms Carrasquillo-Torres’s class alarmed a counselor of the remarks. Ms Carrasquillo-Torres reportedly admitted to the assistant principal that she “want[ed] to kill [herself], staff and students, and did also make a kill list,” and that “if she had a car, she would be able to fit two dead bodies in the trunk,” according to an affidavit obtained by The Independent.
When asked why she wanted to harm the children, Ms Carrasquillo-Torres allegedly said: “I’m having trouble with my mental health and sometimes the kids do not listen in the classroom. I also have trauma caused when I went to high school”. She didn’t provide the list.
Ms Carrasquillo reiterated her comments to the principal before stating that she “was only joking about it,” and was sent home and told not to return pending an investigation. School officials reportedly informed her she would likely face termination and only contacted law enforcement four hours after the events, police said.
A spokesperson with the East Chicago Police Department told The Independent that Ms Carrasquillo-Torres was detained for questioning but not arrested. The Lake County Prosecutor’s Office provided documents to The Independent indicating that Ms Carrasquillo-Torres has been charged with felony intimidation.
“I’m really scared and worried,” one of the students, whose father said she probably won’t return to St Stanislaus, told ABC. “She said that she wanted to choke us and that she wanted to kill herself.”
According to the police statement, officers detained Ms Carrasquillo-Torres after they were informed of the incident. The department’s criminal investigation division then obtained an emergency detention order from the Lake County Prosecutors Office on Thursday.
Although the department’s statement seemingly indicates that an arrest was made, a spokesperson said on Thursday that Ms Carrasquillo-Torres was only detained for questioning.
“[Ms Carrasquillo-Torres] was taken into custody by our [d]etectives at approximately [11.15am] at her Griffith residence without incident. This is still an active investigation and no further statements will be made at this time,” police said.
“They should have never let her walk out of [the school’s] door,” Quiannis Jones, the father of one of the threatened children, told ABC. “They should have called the police. That’s a threat on the school.”
The school said in a statement that police had informed officials that classes could continue and there was not a threat.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
