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Community devastated after San Tan Valley mother allegedly killed by son

Community devastated after San Tan Valley mother allegedly killed by son

SAN TAN VALLEY, AZ (AZFamily) — A San Tan Valley community is shocked as loved ones reveal new details about a woman detectives say was killed by her son.

Mary Collier’s husband and one of her sons spoke to Arizona’s family off camera, saying the loss was tragic, sudden and inexplicable.

The 38-year-old was a mother of four who will be greatly missed by all who knew her. Collier is remembered as kind, loving, caring and patient.

With Halloween decorations hanging on a quiet street in the San Tan Valley, neighbors struggle to understand how something truly terrifying happened while families prepare for trick-or-treating.

“Yesterday I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about why someone could be so hateful and mean to the person who brought them into this world,” said Jill Appleberry, a neighbor who lives a few doors down from the Collier family.

The The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office says Collier’s 18-year-old son killed her with a sharp weapon in a nearby field, then left the body and called 911 to make it appear as if she had been kidnapped.

“Someone who obviously doesn’t want to get caught for what they did because they have to fabricate a story and say something that’s not true because it turned out to be a fake, no one kidnapped his mom, he did it himself,” she said Apple.

Collier’s husband told Arizona Family reporter Micaela Marshall that there had been some sort of fight Tuesday night, and the next morning mother and son went out together, hoping to resolve any lingering issues.

When the son returned home alone, the husband asked where she was and said that his son’s story kept changing. Together they went looking for her, but soon after, the runner made a gruesome discovery.

“I am outraged that another life has to be lost as a result of violence,” Appleberry said. “As a mother, I feel sorry for the children because their older brother took their mother away from them and now they have to live without their mother.”

According to the officers’ reports, the suspect suffered injuries and was taken to hospital. After his release, he will be charged with murder.

My husband told me his son did not have a mental illness, and deputies say he has had no prior run-ins with the law.

AND A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family.

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