Topline: A detective told a judge in court on Monday that Lee “advised her son asked her to help him stop breathing.”
Published: February 27, 2025 8:00 am ET
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Left: Austin Pikaart (via GoFundMe). Right: Katie Austin Lee (via Holland Department of Public Safety).
HOLLAND, MI — Horrific details have been released by authorities investigating a mother’s alleged murder of her son who would have turned 18 on Saturday.
According to local NBC affiliate WOOD, 39-year-old Katie Austin Lee is facing charges of open murder and resisting an officer in connection with the murder of her son, Austin Pikaart, at a residence in Holland, Michigan on Friday, February 21.
She was arraigned via video on Monday.
According to court records obtained by WOOD, Lee called 911 around 4 a.m. on Friday to report “she couldn’t get her son to stop breathing and had been trying for a while.”
She then admitted to 911 dispatchers that she cut his throat and arm with a knife after he passed out, court records alleged.
Austin Pikaart (via GoFundMe)
Lee continued her confession on the phone with dispatchers, stating she wanted to “commit suicide” and that she and Austin had both attempted to overdose on medication the day before around 1 p.m. At 6 p.m.—approximately five hours later—she said she cut him after he passed out.
Officers responded to the scene to find Pikaart in a bed with a large cut to his neck and cuts on his left arm.
When first responders arrived to the residence, Lee was wearing bloody clothes and was holding a large kitchen knife “up by her shoulder as if to threaten” the officers, court records indicate.
When Lee refused to drop the knife, an officer tased her. She fell to the ground and attempted to grab the knife when she was tased again.
Authorities allege Lee stated “officers were supposed to kill her … so she could be with her son,” according to the court records.
A detective told a judge in court on Monday that Lee “advised her son asked her to help him stop breathing because he did not want to turn 18.”
A GoFundMe was organized to assist Pikaart’s funeral services. It has raised over $6,000 of its $12,000 goal as of Wednesday evening.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Mother Claims She Killed Son Because ‘He Did Not Want to Turn 18’
A detective told a judge in court on Monday that Lee “advised her son asked her to help him stop breathing.”
By Jacob Charles
Published: February 27, 2025 8:00 am ET
Left: Austin Pikaart (via GoFundMe). Right: Katie Austin Lee (via Holland Department of Public Safety).
HOLLAND, MI — Horrific details have been released by authorities investigating a mother’s alleged murder of her son who would have turned 18 on Saturday.
According to local NBC affiliate WOOD, 39-year-old Katie Austin Lee is facing charges of open murder and resisting an officer in connection with the murder of her son, Austin Pikaart, at a residence in Holland, Michigan on Friday, February 21.
She was arraigned via video on Monday.
According to court records obtained by WOOD, Lee called 911 around 4 a.m. on Friday to report “she couldn’t get her son to stop breathing and had been trying for a while.”
She then admitted to 911 dispatchers that she cut his throat and arm with a knife after he passed out, court records alleged.
Austin Pikaart (via GoFundMe)
Lee continued her confession on the phone with dispatchers, stating she wanted to “commit suicide” and that she and Austin had both attempted to overdose on medication the day before around 1 p.m. At 6 p.m.—approximately five hours later—she said she cut him after he passed out.
Officers responded to the scene to find Pikaart in a bed with a large cut to his neck and cuts on his left arm.
When first responders arrived to the residence, Lee was wearing bloody clothes and was holding a large kitchen knife “up by her shoulder as if to threaten” the officers, court records indicate.
When Lee refused to drop the knife, an officer tased her. She fell to the ground and attempted to grab the knife when she was tased again.
Authorities allege Lee stated “officers were supposed to kill her … so she could be with her son,” according to the court records.
A detective told a judge in court on Monday that Lee “advised her son asked her to help him stop breathing because he did not want to turn 18.”
A GoFundMe was organized to assist Pikaart’s funeral services. It has raised over $6,000 of its $12,000 goal as of Wednesday evening.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Mother Claims She Killed Son Because ‘He Did Not Want to Turn 18’
A detective told a judge in court on Monday that Lee “advised her son asked her to help him stop breathing.”
By Jacob Charles
Published: February 27, 2025 8:00 am ET
Left: Austin Pikaart (via GoFundMe). Right: Katie Austin Lee (via Holland Department of Public Safety).
HOLLAND, MI — Horrific details have been released by authorities investigating a mother’s alleged murder of her son who would have turned 18 on Saturday.
According to local NBC affiliate WOOD, 39-year-old Katie Austin Lee is facing charges of open murder and resisting an officer in connection with the murder of her son, Austin Pikaart, at a residence in Holland, Michigan on Friday, February 21.
She was arraigned via video on Monday.
According to court records obtained by WOOD, Lee called 911 around 4 a.m. on Friday to report “she couldn’t get her son to stop breathing and had been trying for a while.”
She then admitted to 911 dispatchers that she cut his throat and arm with a knife after he passed out, court records alleged.
Austin Pikaart (via GoFundMe)
Lee continued her confession on the phone with dispatchers, stating she wanted to “commit suicide” and that she and Austin had both attempted to overdose on medication the day before around 1 p.m. At 6 p.m.—approximately five hours later—she said she cut him after he passed out.
Officers responded to the scene to find Pikaart in a bed with a large cut to his neck and cuts on his left arm.
When first responders arrived to the residence, Lee was wearing bloody clothes and was holding a large kitchen knife “up by her shoulder as if to threaten” the officers, court records indicate.
When Lee refused to drop the knife, an officer tased her. She fell to the ground and attempted to grab the knife when she was tased again.
Authorities allege Lee stated “officers were supposed to kill her … so she could be with her son,” according to the court records.
A detective told a judge in court on Monday that Lee “advised her son asked her to help him stop breathing because he did not want to turn 18.”
A GoFundMe was organized to assist Pikaart’s funeral services. It has raised over $6,000 of its $12,000 goal as of Wednesday evening.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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