Texas Woman Tells Police She Killed Her 2 Young Daughters

Woman arrested, faces two charges of capital murder of a person under 10

irving police shoulder patch
Jose Sanchez, NBC 5

A Texas woman is facing two capital murder charges after telling police she killed her two young daughters.

Irving police said the woman, identified as 30-year-old Madison McDonald, came to the police station at about 10 p.m. Monday on O'Connor Road and used the phone in the lobby to call 911.

Police said she told 911 operators that she killed her two daughters, 1-year-old Lillian Mae McDonald and 6-year-old Archer Hammond, by first sedating them and then smothering them before tucking them into their beds.

Officers were dispatched the woman's home on the 700 block of Cowboys Parkway and confirmed that both of the children were deceased.

madison mcdonald
NBC 5 News
Madison McDonald, mugshot

A probable cause affidavit obtained by NBC 5 on Tuesday afternoon indicated McDonald said her children were being abused and "that she would do anything to protect her children including 'eliminating them.'"

McDonald was taken into custody in the police station lobby and is facing two charges of capital murder of a person under 10 years of age.

Video released by the Irving Police Department showed McDonald, in shorts, a sweatshirt, and face mask, walking around the empty lobby for several minutes apparently looking for a phone or a police officer. Nearly 20 minutes after she arrived, three officers can be seen entering the lobby to talk with McDonald.

Madison McDonald
Irving Police Department
Madison McDonald, arriving at the police station on April 5, 2021, where police say she confessed to killing her two children.

At about 10:24 p.m., the officers escorted her to a secured part of the station.

A bond amount has not been confirmed and it's not clear if she's obtained an attorney.

The investigation into the deaths is ongoing.

If convicted of capital murder charges in Texas, defendants face either life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.

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