Mother Allegedly Killed 5-Year-Old Son with Autism — Then Tried to Kill Herself Over 'Challenges of Caring' for Him By Sean Neumann

A British court heard from prosecutors this week that the mother of a non-verbal boy with autism allegedly smothered her son to death and then tried to kill herself after they say “the challenges of caring for an autistic child” had become too overbearing.

Claire Button, 35, is on trial this week in the Basildon Crown Court where she faces a murder charge in connection with the death of her 5-year-old son Lincoln at their family’s home last year, according to Essex Live and the Manchester Evening News. BBC previously reported earlier this year that the mother denied intentionally murdering her son, though Essex Live and Manchester Evening News reported this week that she has since admitted to manslaughter.

Button’s husband Nicky came home after work the evening of Dec. 15, 2024 and discovered their son dead. His wife was apparently in need of medical help and taken to a local hospital.

Prosecutors alleged that Button strangled her son to death and left a note next to his body that read “DNR – do not resuscitate,” according to Essex Live, before writing another note that read: “He [Lincoln] does not fit in the world and where he doesn’t fit I don’t either.”

“An ambulance was called, paramedics arrived but despite all efforts, Lincoln passed away,” Coroner Officer Linsey Chaffe previously told BBC.

Prosecutor Andrew Jackson claimed in court on Monday, Oct. 6, that “what happened that day was a deliberate and unlawful act plainly done with the intention of killing Lincoln,” per the Manchester Evening News.

“It appears that the challenges of caring for an autistic child had caused the defendant to become depressed and she chose to murder her child,” Jackson also alleged, according to the outlet.

The outlet reported that Button’s mother had admitted her into a mental health facility at their local hospital during the summer of 2024. There, according to Essex Live, Button was diagnosed with depression and prescribed medication that appeared to be helping at first. But by October, Jackson alleged, Button had “marked a return to the problems” she was having with depression.

Earlier in the morning on the day of his death, Button had taken Lincoln to visit her mother, who lived nearby and helped the family take care of her grandson, Essex Live reported. 

According to the outlet, Button later made an emergency 999 call around 11:25 a.m. local time and told an operator that she planned to kill herself via an “overdose.”

The operator reportedly told Button that an ambulance wouldn’t be able to get to her house “for 10 hours,” according to Essex Live and the Manchester Evening News.

The outlets reported that Button’s husband Nicky arrived home around 3 p.m. that day.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE‘s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Family members mourned Lincoln’s death in the weeks following the alleged murder.

Jamie Warren, who is Nicky’s cousin, told BBC that Lincoln was “an all-round happy kid, who loved his toys” as well as “trains” and “rainbows.” Warren said Lincoln’s death 10 days before Christmas was “a horrible situation” for their family.

“It’s sad for me but seeing Nicky and Lincoln’s grandma, seeing how broken they are as a family, is awful,” Warren explained. “Seeing them, and how quiet and broken they are, it’s so horrible, you wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy. It’s all you’re thinking about really. Especially as he had his whole life ahead of him.”