The Murder of Oliver Hitchcock
On March 30, 2022, police received a call for a possible stabbing of an 8-year-old and a female who wanted to kill herself at an apartment on Plank Trail Lane, Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. When police arrived, they found a deceased 8-year-old who had been strangled.
Background
Jeffery Hitchcock and his wife Natalie Hitchcock had been married for 15 years. They had two children and lived in Wisconsin.
Hitchcock’s family resided in Russia. According to court documents, Jeffery told police that the news showing the war between Ukraine and Russia had been distressing to her, making him concerned about her mental welfare. In the 3 or 4 days prior to the murder, Hitchcock’s behavior became more intense. She had asked her husband to stay home from work, which he did. He also stated that she had wanted to buy camping supplies, fuel, knives, and guns. Jeffery bought some extra supplies, such as food and a camping stove, with the intentions of helping Hitchcock feel safe, but did not buy the knives and guns. The court documents also state that Hitchcock was upset she could not get a flight to Russia to see her family. She was also paranoid that people were going to attack her. Jeffery explained to the police that he felt the war had “amped up Hitchcock more than ever” leading her to start drinking more alcohol.
Murder
On the morning of March 30, 2022, Jeffery woke up and had breakfast. It was spring break, so both of his children and Hitchcock were home. Jeffery remembers Hitchcock’s mother calling to speak with her and his children playing a computer game.
Jeffery took a nap on the couch and was woken up by his older son shouting, “Oliver is dead!” According to court documents, the older son “looked scared and very frightened.” Jeffery ran to Oliver’s room and saw him laying at the base of the bed. Jeffery told police he recalled Hitchcock stating, “I killed Oliver.” He carried him to the living room, called 911, and started CPR. Oliver was lifeless, limp, and had a small amount of blood coming from his right ear.
As Jeffery was helping his son, court documents state, Hitchcock was holding a knife, walking around the apartment, stating she was going to kill everyone in the house. N. Hitchcock held the knife to herself, prompting Jeffery to take the knife from her, sustaining a small cut on his finger in the process. Hitchcock grabbed another knife, which Jeffery also took from her.
Police Arrive
Police arrived on scene and were met by Jeffery Hitchcock. According to court documents, he was visibly upset and told police to get inside the house. He led them to a boy laying on his back, who appeared to be unconscious. Court documents state the child “was very pale white and bluish in color.” There were not any signs of stab wounds, but police did notice obvious marks of strangulation around Oliver’s neck.
Police began CPR until medics arrived and took over. Medics were able to regain a pulse and Oliver was rushed to the hospital for further care.
Jeffery told police that he and his wife, Hitchcock, had had tried to stab him and herself. Police found Hitchcock in a back bedroom. Police escorted her out and noticed her chest bleeding from a small, self-inflicted wound. Hitchcock stated she was trying to “cut her heart.”
When police asked Hitchcock what happened, she told them she had brain fog, that “someone else was controlling her mind and she had been poisoned.” She continued to state, “I suffocate him” because she “did not want him to be abused.” Hitchcock was brought to the hospital.
Interview
On March 30, 2022, Hitchcock had two interviews with different investigators. The following information is compiled from court documents.
Hitchcock told police she had woken up around 7:00 a.m. She had only slept for 2 hours the night before and in the five days prior, she stated she only slept about 8 hours.
She told the detective within the 5 days prior, starting on March 25, 2022, she had not been able to concentrate on anything. She started having fears that her children would be taken away and sold on the dark web. Hitchcock disclosed she was having thoughts the Russian government was going to kidnap her children and hurt them. She told police she felt since Oliver was the youngest, he was the most vulnerable, and would not be able to defend himself if he had to; she would rather he die than be abused.
Around 4:00 p.m., Hitchcock told police she started to have ‘brain fog” and “did not have control of her thoughts and heard voices in her head.” Hitchcock told police she tried to tell herself that the thoughts she was having were not true. She noted that Jeffery had stayed home from work and was trying to support her, but she did not feel supported.
Hitchcock then mixed half a bottle of Tylenol with orange juice. Court documents state she drank the juice with the intention of killing herself. She stated she felt “as if she had no choice but to take her own life. She then explained, if she was going to take her own life, she did not want her kids to be abused, and decided she was going to “end his suffering.”
She told the detective she decided to take Oliver and started strangling him. She had already ingested the orange juice at this point.
According to court documents, “she said, she placed both hands around Oliver’s neck and squeezed as hard as she could until Oliver stopped breathing.” Hitchcock describes how Oliver’s face changed colors as he lost conscious and fell to the floor.
When police asked if she was planning on hurting her other son, she said no, that he was bigger than Oliver, so it would be harder to kill him. Police asked if she had ever attempted to hurt her other son and she dunk him under the water once when he was in the bath to scare him, so “they could wake up and see what was going on around them.” She did not intend to hurt him.
Interview with Surviving Son
Police interviewed the surviving son on March 30, 2022. He had told police the day before, on March 29, 2022, he was taking a bath, when his mother asked him to see how long he could hold his breath underwater. While he was under the water, he felt his mom pushing him down with what felt like her whole body. The son managed to get out from underneath her, but did tell detectives if the water was higher, he may not have been able to get away.
After he left the bathroom, his mother was holding a large knife. He screamed at her and kept his distance. She would eventually put the knife away and give her older son a hug. According to court documents, the rest of the day was “normal.”
Detectives also asked the son what happened on March 30, 2022. He explained that he was looking for his brother when he went into the room and saw him lying on the floor. Oliver had a sheet over him, but the brother saw his face, which was white with red dots, and described his feet as being white. He started screaming and his father came in and stated CPR. After seeing his mom hold a knife to her neck, he ran out of his house and hid in the garage.
The surviving son was not physically harmed.
Death
Oliver Hitchcock succumbed to his injuries on April 1, 2022. The doctor who had been treating Oliver stated that he had blood in his nose and petechiae from his neck to hairline. Petechia are small dots under the skin that signify bleeding under the skin, which is a sign of strangulation.
On April 1, 2022, detectives went to the prison where Hitchcock was being held to inform her that Oliver had passed away. According to court documents, when she was informed, she stated, “I guess I accomplished what I set out to do.”
Charges
Natalia Hitchcock has been charged with First Degree Intentional Homicide for the murder of Oliver Hitchcock.
She has also been charged with Attempted First-Degree Intentional Homicide for trying to kill her older son on March 29, 2022.