An Arizona mother who killed her two daughters in 2021 was found dead in her prison cell. In a statement, the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, & Reentry (ADCRR) revealed that Retta Cruse, 38, died on Feb. 21 “from an apparent actor self-harm by hanging.”
“Prison staff discovered Cruse unresponsive in their housing unit on February 21, 2025, and conducted life-saving measures until paramedics arrived onsite,” the statement reveals. “Responding paramedics, in consultation with medical staff, pronounced Cruse deceased.”
Cruse was admitted to ADCRR custody in 2022 after she was sentenced for two counts of First Degree Murder. She was assigned to ASPC-Perryville, which is located in Goodyear, Arizona.
“All inmate deaths are investigated in consultation with the county medical examiner’s office,” the statement adds.
ABC 15 Arizona reported in September 2021 that a man discovered his two children deceased in his Phoenix-area apartment. Upon their arrival, responding officers found the man’s daughters, Aleyah, 9, and Royal, 4, unresponsive in a bed.
Cruse was also found barricaded in a bedroom with multiple self-inflicted knife wounds.
Investigators determined that the Arizona mom had intentionally killed her daughters using prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.
Cruse was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder after she was treated for her wounds. She later pleaded guilty to killing her daughters in 2022. She was sentenced later that same year.
A GoFundMe that was established to cover the children’s funeral costs revealed Cruse had recently moved her family to Arizona for “spiritual reasons.” Right before the murders, she had lost a “bitter” custody battle over her eldest, Aleyah.
Cruse had confessed to the murders and said she committed them due to the custody battle.
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