A prominent New York City cancer doctor shot her young child before turning the gun on herself, police said Saturday.
Few details were immediately provided by investigators probing the deaths of Dr. Krystal Cascetta, 40, and her infant. The New York State Police said in a press release that the scene at the family’s home in Westchester County was “consistent with a murder/suicide.”
A preliminary investigation had revealed that Cascetta, whom state police characterized as a “renowned” oncologist at Mount Sinai, entered her baby’s room at around 7 a.m. on Saturday. The doctor shot the child before shooting herself, state police said.
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On Sunday, law enforcement sources told the Westchester Journal News/Lohud that the baby was a girl and Cascetta’s only child. An online gift registry found by the newspaper appeared to indicate that the infant had been approximately four and a half months old.
Cascetta’s parents were home at the time of the tragedy, while her husband was away, the sources said.
A neighbor told the New York Post that “ambulances and police” had, in recent months, been called to the family’s home at least two times prior to Saturday. The reason for the response was not immediately clear.
Cascetta was the site chief of Mount Sinai’s infusion center in Queens, and had been an assistant professor of medicine at the hospital’s private medical school. She was an “active investigator of breast cancer clinical trials,” according to an official bio.
The 40-year-old graduated from Albany Medical College, where she was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society for “demonstrating excellence in humanistic clinical care, leadership, compassion and dedication to service,” the bio states.
Several former patients took to social media over the weekend to memorialize her, praising her work ethic and empathy.
“A shocking & terrible tragedy,” wrote Kambri Crews, a public speaker and memoirist. “She was a star in her field, dedicated and lovely, whip smart and a competitive athlete.”
In an apparent reference to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crews went on to recall a period when Cascetta answered a “call to duty” and worked in the hospital’s emergency room. “I was so scared for her,” Crews remembered.
“Her gentle, caring manner was refreshing and reassuring,” said another patient, Yale Brevda. “She would calmly listen and respond to every question I asked with thoughtful care. She was a doctor with whom I was completely comfortable. I will miss her!”
“Dr. Krystal Cascetta you were true to your profession,” wrote a patient named Maureen Daly. “You were caring and very compassionate to your patients. I will miss our talks.”
“Just devastated and shocked by the loss of Krystal Cascetta, a beautiful, wonderful doctor,” said Eri Barr, who said she attended Albany and did her residency with Cascetta. In another post, Barr added, “I always looked up to her.”
In 2019, Cascetta married Timothy Talty, who appears to run a nutrition-bar company where his wife served as a medical consultant.
“The people closest to Krystal will tell you that being a doctor is in her DNA. Krystal, herself, will tell you that she has wanted to be a doctor for as long as she can remember; that even as a child she could be found wrapping her dolls in gauze,” the company’s website says.
“When Krystal was in 8th grade, her mother’s best friend passed away from breast cancer. It was this life-altering event that helped Krystal decide that Medical Oncology would be her specialty.”
In her Facebook post, Crews continued, “I don’t know what what was happening in her life that she felt this was the best end to her story, but I know a large community of survivors, patients and colleagues are broken hearted.”
“I will sorely miss her. She deeply cared for her patients and I am grateful that I was one.”
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
