Suspect in murder of adoptive mother, adopted son accused of strangling her last year: court documents

CINCINNATI (WXIX) – The suspect in the slayings of a Cincinnati foster mother, her foster son and a toddler has been accused of strangling her last year and chasing a relative down the road while “waving a machete at him” in 2022, court records show.

Patricia McCollum, 78; her adopted son, DJ McCollum, 32, and an 11-year-old girl, Kaydence McCollum, were all found dead with multiple stab wounds inside a College Hill home once the SWAT standoff with suspect Anthony ended Mathis.

Mathis, 66, was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center with self-inflicted stab wounds and later died, according to Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge.

Patricia “Pat” McCollum was a foster mother for years, according to Hamilton County commissioners, her friends and neighbors. Her adopted son, DJ, was disabled, according to our media partners at Cincinnati Enquirer.

Kaydence was a student at Parker Woods Montessori School, according to Cincinnati Public Schools.

Cincinnati police have not said how Mathis was connected to the victims, and it is unclear how the 11-year-old girl is related to Patricia McCollum.

“The tragic death of Patricia McCollum is a loss to all of Hamilton County,” the commissioners said in a statement Friday.

“Pat was a champion for children and foster mother to over 70 children. She adopted seven. Few people live as invested in their community as Pat. A social worker, she was a strong champion for children herself, but she created a program that paired newly licensed foster parents with more experienced ones. The program has helped countless foster families learn how to support all children, as she did.

“Words cannot express our appreciation that Pat has dedicated (in) his personal and professional life to the children of Hamilton County. We will miss her voice, her passion, her knowledge and her endless energy.”

Cincinnati police arrested Mathis on charges of strangulation and domestic violence in April 2023, according to court records in the case.

Patricia McCollum is identified in court records as the victim in both charges.

“The victim was choked by Antony Mathis, causing pain to her neck and lifting her off the ground at the same time,” police wrote in a criminal complaint dated April 21, 2023.

Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Josh Berkowitz signed a domestic violence protection order against Mathis requiring him to stay 500 feet away from her at all times and in places such as her home and workplace.

The order of protection also prohibited her from possessing any deadly weapon, including guns and ammunition, from using or possessing alcohol or illegal drugs, and from using any form of electronic surveillance on her.

In addition, the judge specifically warned Mathis not to violate the court order “even with the permission of a protected person,” according to a copy of the order.

The strangulation charge, a felony, was “dismissed” by a Hamilton County grand jury on April 27, 2023.

An attorney for Mathis filed a notice on May 5, 2023 with the court that he plans to plead self-defense to the remaining domestic violence charge.

That case, along with the protective order, was eventually dropped.

It was “dismissed for want of prosecution,” according to a court order dated Oct. 2, 2023. Prosecutors typically seek that when the victim wants to drop the charges.

However, later that month, Mathis pleaded no contest to a Sept. 22, 2022, misdemeanor charge of domestic violence involving a male relative who is not one of the victims killed Thursday, court records show.

Armed with a machete, Mathis threatened his relative with a large, long-bladed ax-like knife in a public place, Cincinnati police wrote in an affidavit and criminal complaint.

Mathis got into an argument with his relative and then chased the man down the road “with a machete,” according to court records.

Cincinnati police also charged Mathis with aggravated menacing.

Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Bernie Bouchard signed a domestic violence protection order against Mathis in that case as well.

A public defender notified the court that Mathis planned to claim self-defense and requested a jury trial.

His $40,000 bond was posted on September 30, 2022, and Mathis was released from the county jail with an order to wear an electronic monitoring unit at all times.

Less than a month later, his bond was revoked for failing to “cooperate with the terms of his bond,” court records show.

Mathis “failed to allow officers to enter his residence on October 18, 2022,” according to his bond revocation complaint.

A little more than a week later, on Oct. 26, 2022, he “admitted to making intoxicated phone calls to his EMU officer,” according to the court order signed by Hamilton County Municipal Court Judges Janaya Trotter Bratton and Gwen Bender .

He “admitted to driving to the gas station before his car broke down. (He) was then breathalyzed after admitting to making drunk calls to his EMU officer. (Mathis) also smelled of alcohol upon reporting” and “blew a .11 after admitting to driving,” according to the complaint.

Mathis “has not cooperated with EMU since the day it was placed with him. (He) refused to allow officers to search him at the time of his arrest and stated that he hoped he had sharp objects on his person if officers searched. (He) has made multiple threats to sue the probation office as well as Judge Bender.”

When Mathis pleaded to the domestic violence charge, the aggravated menacing charge was dismissed, according to the court filing.

He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, given credit for 30 days already served, and ordered to pay court costs and fines.

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