Deputies say both men survived after their mother admitted deliberately giving them medication following growing difficulty caring for them.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A 68-year-old Florida woman remained listed in the Osceola County jail weeks after authorities accused her of intentionally overdosing her two adult sons with medication in an attempt to kill them, turning what began as an emergency response at a family home into an attempted-murder investigation.

Marilyn Elise Therrell faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated abuse of a disabled adult, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and local reports. Her sons, ages 30 and 32, were described by authorities as severely autistic. Investigators said all three family members suffered apparent medication overdoses on Sept. 8 and were taken to a hospital. The sheriff’s office later said the sons were expected to survive. Current county jail records continue to list Therrell under case number 2026 CF 003342, show a total bond of $50,000 and mark the case as pending arraignment.

The investigation began shortly after 10 a.m. Sept. 8, when deputies were sent to a home on Indian Ridge Trail South after a report of an overdose. Deputies found Therrell and both sons showing signs consistent with overdoses, according to the sheriff’s office accounts reported by WFTV and other Central Florida news organizations. All three were taken to AdventHealth Celebration for treatment. Public reports do not identify the medication involved, describe the quantity allegedly given or say who made the emergency call. Authorities also have not publicly identified the two sons, preserving their privacy as alleged victims in a criminal case.

Detectives did not immediately describe the episode as intentional. Instead, investigators collected evidence from the residence and spoke with people connected to the household. The sheriff’s office said interviews with a family member and the property’s landlord were among the information that led detectives to suspect the overdoses had been deliberate. Public accounts have not detailed what those witnesses said or what investigators recovered from the home. No publicly reviewed account describes laboratory results, medication bottles, written communications or other specific physical evidence that prosecutors might eventually rely on in court.

Investigators interviewed Therrell on Sept. 17, nine days after the emergency response. According to the sheriff’s office, Therrell said caring for her sons had become increasingly difficult after her husband died the previous year. Detectives said she then admitted intentionally giving the men medication in an effort to cause fatal overdoses. Authorities also said Therrell had overdosed herself. Those statements are allegations contained in the law-enforcement account; the available reports do not provide a transcript or recording of the interview, and they do not establish what Therrell may ultimately say through a defense attorney in court.

Therrell was arrested after that interview and booked into the Osceola County jail. Local news organizations consistently reported the charges as two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated abuse of a disabled adult. Florida law separately defines abuse of a disabled adult to include intentional conduct that inflicts injury or could reasonably be expected to cause physical or psychological injury. The filing of criminal charges does not establish that Therrell committed the offenses. Prosecutors would have to prove the required elements if the case proceeds to trial and she contests the allegations.

The criminal case also left authorities responsible for determining what would happen to the two men after their medical treatment. In September, the sheriff’s office said both sons remained hospitalized but were expected to recover. Officials said that once they could leave the hospital, they were expected to be placed in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families’ Adult Protective Services program. Public reports reviewed for this article do not establish whether they have since been discharged, where they are living now or what specific long-term services have been arranged. Their names and detailed medical conditions beyond the description supplied by law enforcement have not been released.

That planned transfer matters because the alleged victims were adults rather than children, even though authorities said they had significant disabilities and depended on family care. Florida’s Adult Protective Services system handles reports involving vulnerable adults and can investigate allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation, assess immediate risks and help arrange protective services. The expected involvement of the agency does not determine Therrell’s guilt in the criminal case. It addresses a separate question: how the sons can be protected and supported after authorities removed them from the circumstances that produced the criminal investigation.

Important details about the prosecution remain outside the public accounts reviewed. Authorities have not publicly explained how long Therrell had been her sons’ primary caregiver, what assistance the household received before her husband’s death or whether relatives, public agencies or private providers had been involved in their daily care. The available reporting also does not establish whether Therrell previously asked an agency for additional help, whether either son had another legal guardian or whether there had been earlier reports involving the household. Those unanswered questions may provide context, but they cannot be supplied through assumption.

The public record is similarly limited about the alleged act itself. News reports say medication was involved, but they do not identify a drug or provide dosage information. They do not say whether each son received the same medication, how investigators concluded what had been administered or whether Therrell had prescriptions for any substance recovered at the home. Keeping those details separate from what has actually been released is significant in an attempted-murder case because investigators’ theory, medical findings and a defendant’s statements may each become subjects of dispute as the prosecution moves forward.

The case therefore rests, at this stage, on a relatively clear public chronology but an incomplete evidentiary picture. Deputies answered an overdose call Sept. 8, three people were hospitalized, detectives gathered evidence and interviewed people tied to the home, and Therrell was questioned Sept. 17. Authorities say she admitted intentionally overdosing her sons and described increased difficulty caring for them after her husband’s death. She was then arrested. What the public record does not yet show is the full evidence supporting those allegations or how Therrell intends to answer them in court.

As of Nov. 7, the Osceola County inmate database continued to list Therrell in custody and identified the criminal case as pending arraignment. The jail record lists a total bond of $50,000. No reliable update reviewed for this article established a trial date, a plea or a final disposition of the charges. The sheriff’s office has described its investigation as ongoing. Therrell is presumed innocent unless and until the allegations are proved through a guilty plea or in court.

Author note: Last updated November 7, 2026.