A therapist in Florida lost her life after being stabbed at her office by a former client. The man then ran away and died by suicide.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says that Rebecca White, who was 44 years old, had just finished helping another person around 9 p.m. on Monday, January 19. That’s when 39-year-old Michael Smith came to her office in Orlando. He wanted to talk to her.
Deputies said that Smith started stabbing both White and her other client, who was a man in his 30s. The client was able to call 911, and Smith left.
Both White and her client had been stabbed and were taken to the hospital. Sadly, White died because of her injuries. The client is expected to live.
The client’s mother shared that her son will have a “scar on his mouth and other areas of his body, along with possible nerve damage from being stabbed in his hand.”
Smith’s body was found about 14 miles from the office building the next morning. Deputies think he killed himself.
Authorities are still trying to figure out why Smith attacked White.
Records show that Smith was a registered sex offender who had been let out of prison in 2022. One of the rules of his parole was that he needed to have “psychological or psychiatric evaluation.”
White worked as a mental health counselor at her own practice. Her family is worried about how easy it was to get into the office building and what safety measures were in place.
Her family said that they don’t understand how this could have happened. They have questions about building access, security, and how someone could enter the building at those hours.
The family added that this makes them think about failures that might have led to this situation, which they believe could have been prevented. They are heartbroken and mourning the loss of Rebecca.
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