HoCo deaths ruled murder-suicide

Howard County police have ruled that a Columbia woman used a gas generator in June to take her life and that of her 18-year-old disabled son, the Columbia Flier reports.

Police say that on June 4, Tracy Hawks, 47, was found in her bedroom, along with her son, Christopher Melton, who had autism and mild mental retardation. A newly purchased generator was found in the dining room of her Hickory Ridge home.

An investigation found that Hawks, who was in the midst of a divorce, financial debt and at risk of her losing her job, had been threatening to take her life for more than a month.