A Durham woman is charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder after police say her two children were found unresponsive at their home, with one later dying at a hospital. Her husband urged the court to treat the case as a mental health crisis.
The case has shaken a quiet neighborhood near a busy stretch of N.C. 98, where neighbors said they knew the family and did not expect a tragedy of this scale. Investigators have released few details about what happened inside the home, and police have not identified the children or described their injuries. In court, prosecutors said the mother tried to take her own life while in jail, adding a new layer of urgency to a case that already involves a child’s death and another child’s recovery.
Police and emergency crews were called to Chartwell Court shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 after reports of children in distress. Officers found two small children unresponsive inside a home in the 10 block of the street and rushed them to a hospital, authorities said. One child later died. In 911 calls later released, a neighbor told a dispatcher that someone came out of a house yelling for help and shouting that the children had been harmed. “There is a child on the ground,” the caller said as the dispatcher asked questions and responders were sent.
Durham police said the situation was investigated as a homicide that night. Forensics investigators stayed at the home into Friday morning, and law enforcement vehicles remained in the area for hours as evidence was collected. A news helicopter captured a cluster of police and county emergency vehicles near the house. Police also towed a sport utility vehicle that was parked outside the home, according to reports from the scene. Officers did not release a motive, and they did not say what led them to seek charges against the mother the next day.
Andrea Morgan Faust, 41, of Durham, was arrested Friday morning, Feb. 13, and charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, authorities said. In the early days of the investigation, police did not name the children involved or say what kind of injuries they suffered. Officials also did not publicly confirm whether the children’s father was at home when the emergency call came in. A spokesperson for the Durham Department of Social Services said the agency could not comment because state law restricts the release of child welfare information, even when a case draws public attention.
More details about the chaotic scene emerged as emergency calls were reviewed. In one call, a neighbor described hearing someone cry out for help and then stepping to the front door to look across the street. The call continued for several minutes as the neighbor described people outside and a child who looked limp. In another call, a neighbor reported hearing a woman in the background identified as the children’s mother and grandmother, who could be heard saying her daughter had overdosed. A separate call included a first responder acknowledging that Narcan had been given to someone at the scene, although police have not said whether drugs played a role in the children’s injuries or the death.
Faust’s first court date was scheduled for Feb. 16, but she did not appear because she was rushed to a hospital after what was initially described as a medical emergency at the Durham County Detention Center. Scanner traffic from inside the jail that morning captured staff calling for medical help, according to reporting on the delay. The next day, Faust appeared in court from a hospital bed. Durham County Assistant District Attorney Mary Jude Darrow told the judge that Faust had been hospitalized because of a suicide attempt at the jail, and Darrow asked that Faust be closely supervised.
Darrow requested that Faust be placed on suicide watch and monitored because of the seriousness of the charges and the recent attempt, according to reporting from the hearing. Court filings also sought to transfer Faust to a safekeeping unit at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh. A judge denied bond, leaving Faust in custody. A public defender was appointed to represent her, and the next court date was set for 8:45 a.m. on March 4. In North Carolina, first-degree murder is among the most serious charges a defendant can face, and it can carry a potential life sentence if convicted.
In court, Faust’s husband, Eric Faust, spoke directly about the suicide attempt and the family’s grief, urging his wife to stay alive and accept treatment. “Andrea, I’m begging you please, no more attempts to harm yourself,” he said during the hearing. He described the case as a mental health breakdown and said the surviving child was expected to recover. Eric Faust also told the court that what happened did not reflect the person he knew, calling his wife a devoted parent before the events that brought police to their door.
Neighbors who spoke publicly said they were stunned by the charges and by the thought of young children hurt inside a home they passed every day. Charlene Montford, a neighbor who said she had known Faust for years, described her as kind and attentive to her children. Montford said she had noticed more stress after the family’s second child was born and said Faust appeared to have stepped back from work to stay home with the boys. “I could not believe it was Andrea’s house,” Montford said in an interview, adding that she viewed Faust as a caring mother.
Reports about Faust’s background have offered only a partial picture of her life before the arrests. A local station said court records and online listings described her as a dental hygienist with experience teaching, and a report noted that her LinkedIn page listed her as an instructor at Guilford Technical Community College and Central Carolina Community College. Those details have not been presented in court as evidence related to the charges, and officials have not outlined any history of violence or prior incidents connected to the case. Police have also not said whether they believe other adults were in the home at the time the children were found.
As the criminal case moves forward, key questions remain unanswered. Investigators have not released the cause of death for the child who died or explained what evidence supported charging the mother with first-degree murder rather than a lesser homicide offense. Police have not detailed any timeline inside the house between the moment the children were harmed and the moment officers arrived. They also have not said whether toxicology tests, medical findings, or witness statements are expected to play a central role in the next court hearings.
The latest filings and court statements point to a case that will involve both criminal procedure and medical decisions as it proceeds. Prosecutors have focused on keeping Faust under close supervision while she remains jailed, while the defense has not publicly laid out its approach. With the bond denial in place, the next hearing is expected to address early steps in the case, including scheduling and how information will be exchanged between prosecutors and defense lawyers. Any detailed account of what happened may come later through warrants, medical records presented in court, or testimony if the case reaches trial.
For now, the surviving child’s condition has been discussed largely through statements by the father, not through police updates, and investigators have continued to limit what they will say publicly. Faust remained in custody as of Sunday, and she was scheduled to return to court March 4, the next milestone in a case that began with a frantic 911 call and ended with one child dead and another still recovering.