More info on the autopsy will be needed to see if this woman was mentally ill before the death or after (and if that played any sort of role). That being said, I worked at a hospital in my early adulthood with a psych ward. I remember one woman who lost her child to SIDS and then carried around/talked to/cleaned/dressed/bathed/diapered a doll.. about the same size of her child. It was sad and heart breaking. I also had a family friend who lost his teen son to an auto wreck. They had planned on changing his room a few months before his death. The father (after the death) painted, bought furniture, posters etc.. for the room. He talked about his son in the present tense. Grief isn’t always cut and dry. I think it can push good people, sane people, into what many would call “weird” or “abnormal”.
That’s heartbreaking stuff right there. I pray I don’t experience that with my kids. I would rather die than to let harm befall any child, but it’s not in my hands all the time.
I would like to know what happened here though. It does sound to me like a mother overcome with grief though.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go hug and kiss my kids.