Memorial and GoFundMe account set for Stacy Fawcett, the TV foodie slain by her son
Popular Dallas TV foodie Stacy Fawcett, who died in a shocking murder-suicide last week, was remembered at a public memorial service on Tuesday.
Authorities believe Fawcett’s son, McCann Utu Jr., 19, stabbed his mother and his 17-year-old brother, Josiah Utu, to death before fatally stabbing himself at the family’s home in Plano early Friday.
Fawcett was known as “Dallas’ favorite foodie” for her work on WFAA’s Saturday morning “Daybreak” show.
Fawcett’s brother, Justin Fawcett, told WFAA that McCann went on a rampage, taking knives from the kitchen to stab his family.
Since the murders, family and friends have spoken publicly about McCann’s emotional struggles after suffering two concussions since the fall of 2013.
(Read more about concussion injuries among professional athletes here.)
The first injury occurred while McCann was playing basketball for Plano West High School, the Dallas Morning News reported. Friends said he never played again because he couldn’t pass the concussion protocol test.
They began noticing changes in his behavior after he was injured.
McCann reportedly suffered a more damaging traumatic brain injury in the spring of 2014 during a fight with another student, according to friends who said he “started isolating himself” after the second injury. McCann continued to live at home in suburban Dallas after high school.
“We couldn’t have imagined it, and that is the thing about head injury and mental illness, we don’t fully understand it,” WFAA anchorman Ron Corning said on air Monday. “There is a stigma and a shame attached to it.”
He said nobody knew the extent of McCann’s head injuries.
“Stacy didn’t want to be perceived as giving up on her son,” Corning said. “So she attached herself to a glimmer of hope, that if he got the right kind of therapy he’d be her son again.”
The boys’ father, McCann Utu Sr., also talked about his oldest son’s head injuries in a statement he issued after the murders.
“I’m in so much pain and need to grieve for my boys and Stacy right now,” Utu said. “God will use my pain to help and save others that are going through mental illness and concussion.”
A GoFundMe account has been set up in Fawcett’s name to help pay for the memorial service. Any unused money will be donated to one of her favorite charities: the North Texas Food Bank.
As of Tuesday morning, more than $37,000 had been raised.
This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Memorial and GoFundMe account set for Stacy Fawcett, the TV foodie slain by her son."