Decapitation Sheds Light on Mental Health Issues, Sheriff Says

Florida’s mental health system needs attention.

That’s the position of Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri in the wake of a New Year’s Eve decapitation murder in Oldsmar.

That case, Gualtieri said, sheds light on the need for more to be done to ensure people are getting continued treatment when it’s required, Bay News 9 reported.

“There’s a capacity issue within the mental health system, and I do think this is something that warrants attention, and it’s something that there’s room to do more,” the station quoted him as saying.

The case in reference unfolded around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday when Mario Gomez, 27, called 911 to report that his brother had killed their mother by cutting off her head.

When deputies arrived at the 1924 Sheffield Court home, they found the woman’s body outside and her head in a trash can. Christian Gomez, 23, had fled the scene on his bicycle, but was brought into custody a short while later. He now faces first-degree murder charges in the death of his mother, Maria Suarez-Cassagne, 48. Deputies say he used an ax to kill her.

Pinellas County law enforcement officers have had about 30 contacts with Christian Gomez in the past, the Tampa Bay Times reported. There were a handful of minor charges that led arrests and a 2013 Baker Act for mental evaluation. Christian Gomez was ultimately diagnosed with schizophrenia, the paper reported.

Gualtieri is now looking into cases where people have frequent arrests and frequent evaluations under the state’s Baker Act. That act involves a mandatory 72-hour evaluation period for mental health issues, but does not ultimately force the issue of continuing treatment.

For many, Gualtieri told Bay News 9, the Baker Act is followed up by a stint in jail or a repeat Baker Act, creating a cycle. It’s that cycle he’d like to see end to “hopefully avoid situations like this.”

What do you think should be done to improve the state’s mental health system? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

See Also:

• Man Decapitates Mom on New Year’s Eve