CRIPPLE CREEK, Colo.—Illinois authorities say a Colorado elementary school teacher died after setting herself on fire in her brother’s basement.
KOAA-TV reports that 63-year-old Mary Louise O’Donnell died at a hospital Monday after the fire the previous day in the Chicago suburb of Lake Villa. O’Donnell was a longtime teacher at Cresson Elementary in Cripple Creek, Colo., and was visiting her brother.
Authorities say notes they found show O’Donnell was depressed and that she doused herself with kerosene and set herself on fire.
Police say O’Donnell was severely burned but still alive when firefighters put out the blaze.
Friend and fellow teacher Gari Lu Schwab tells KOAA-TV that O’Donnell was dealing with depression and had some medical problems.
