Miriam Carey, 34, a dental hygienist from Stamford, Conn., was identified as the driver who ran her car into a White House barrier, then sped to Capitol Hill, defying attempts by armed police to stop her Thursday afternoon.
D.C. police confirmed that the driver was shot and killed after careening around the Capitol grounds and crashing at Second Street NE. There was no sign that she was armed, police said. Her one-year-old daughter survived unhurt and is currently in protective custody.
Investigators have been interviewing Carey's family about her mental condition. A federal law enforcement official told The Associated Press that Carey was delusional and believed the president was communicating with her. She believed President Obama was electronically monitoring her Connecticut home in order to broadcast her life on television, sources said.
Concerns about her mental health were reported in the last year to Stamford police, the official said. Carey's boyfriend had told police last winter that she appeared to be delusional.
According to CNN, her boyfriend told police that she was suffering from postpartum depression, was having trouble sleeping and was on medication. Carey underwent a mental health evaluation, the source said.
Futhermore, authorities found a medication to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and another medication that is an antidepressant in her apartment during a search yesterday.
ABC news reports that the woman suffered post-partum depression following the recent birth of her daughter. According to the suspect's mother, Idella Carey, "She had post-partum depression after having the baby....a few months later, she got sick. She was depressed. ... She was hospitalized."
Carey had a 1-year-old daughter named Erica, her mother said.
Eric Sanders, an attorney for the Carey family, said Thursday that the family was struggling to absorb the news. He said he would release an official statement Friday.
