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Mental Illness In Focus In Longmont After 2 Violent Crimes In 2 Days

LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4)- After two violent crimes in just two days in Longmont, authorities are focusing on mental illness as the community deals with the emotional aftermath.

In one case, a woman has been accused of cutting out a pregnant woman's unborn baby when she responded to an online advertisement on Craigslist for baby clothing.

Michelle Wilkins
Michelle Wilkins (credit: Facebook)

The victim, Michelle Wilkins, remained in critical condition on Friday. Wilkins was nearly eight months pregnant. Her baby girl died.

RELATED: 911 Dispatcher Stays On Line To Locate Pregnant Victim

Dynel Lane, 34, arrested in Wednesday's grisly attack at her home.

In the other case, Omar Martinez allegedly stabbed his parents and killed himself.

The violent crimes have not only created a tremendous amount of pain for the Front Range community but has sparked a conversation about mental health.

LONGMONT DOUBLE STABBING 112
The scene Wednesday morning (credit: CBS)

"One of the underlying concerns as we're seeing them in both of these cases is mental illness," said Longmont Police Chief Mike Butler. "We don't know why but it seems to be coming more frequently."

According to court documents, Lane brutally attacked Wilkins before taking her baby. Lane then led her husband to believe the infant was their miscarried child.

"In my mind, what's considered reasonable and rational and how normal behavior occurs, this seemed to go way outside the bounds of that," said Butler.

Mental health workers at a new crisis center in Longmont said they have been inundated with patients.

RELATED: Longmont Man Stabs Mother & Father Before Committing Suicide

"We were expecting fewer people in the ER and more in our walk-in clinic and we've seen more people in walk-ik and ER... not sure where this is coming from," said Mental Health Partners spokeswoman Megan Olive.

Butler said a task force is being formed to begin discussing the mental health issues and how they impact the community.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The Michelle Wilkins Trust Fund
c/o The Kapsak Law Firm, LLC
1610 Hover St. Suite 203
Longmont, CO 80501

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