What Was Found in Metallica Rose Harrison's Resort Room after Husband and Son's Deaths — Stepmom Reveals Details of Their Final Video Call

A video call that seemed ordinary took place just hours before a Pennsylvania resort room became a double homicide scene. Police later seized dozens of items from it.

Metallica Rose Harrison, 27, is charged with two counts of criminal homicide in the deaths of her husband and their young son at Great Wolf Lodge in Scotrun.

Her stepmother has now opened up about their final conversation, and police have described what they found inside the room. Neither account answers the question investigators say is still open: why.

Three Weeks at a Resort That Can Cost More Than $600 a Night

Charles "Chaz" Harrison, 36, his wife, and their 3-year-old son, Tristan, checked into Great Wolf Lodge on September 21. They extended the reservation on October 5, with checkout set for October 13.

A room at the resort can cost more than $600 a night, so three weeks was a big commitment. A Great Wolf Lodge spokesperson told Fox News Digital that other families have stayed for weeks while their homes were being renovated or repaired.

The rooms are larger, and there is plenty to do on site. A multi-week stay is uncommon, but not completely unusual, the resort said. The spokesperson did not say how the Harrisons paid for their stay.

The Final Video Call Before Disaster

On Sunday, October 11, Metallica called her relatives on video chat. Her stepmom, April Thetga, told The New York Post that Metallica seemed normal.

"She had called, and we're video chatting, and then she says she loved us very much, just like she normally would," Thetga recalled. Nothing about the conversation struck the family as odd.

Thetga said Metallica gave no hint that anything was about to happen. According to the stepmom, Metallica had never shown signs of mental illness.

The call came soon before she allegedly stabbed her husband and son and tried to slit her own wrists and neck. Thetga described the Harrisons as a loving family. Relatives are as shocked as everyone else, she said.

What Police Found Inside Room 2030

Officers arrived at the room on Monday, October 12. Court documents say they found Chaz and Tristan with stab wounds. They also found two knives in the bathroom. A butcher knife was on the floor, and a smaller knife was in the sink.

Both knives had teal green handles, and Great Wolf Lodge told police neither belonged to the resort. Police also found containers holding what they believe was blood. Several bottles of medication were in the room as well, and officers noted them in the court documents.

Investigators have not publicly said who owned the knives or what medications were inside the bottles. They have also not said whether the medications had any connection to the deaths. Authorities said they seized between 80 and 90 pieces of evidence from the room.

Stepmom Says the Knives Came From the Family's Home

Thetga learned something else after the deaths. She was told the knives came from Metallica’s house in Towanda. "So to me, it was planned," she told The Post. She now believes Metallica planned the killings for weeks.

Metallica’s family has no explanation for what happened. Thetga said relatives want answers, and she described the family as always happy. Prosecutors have not established a motive either.

A Retirement Account and Questions About the Stay

Metallica worked as an in-home caregiver, and Chaz was a cabinetmaker. Thetga said they used his retirement account to pay for home improvements and other expenses, in addition to the resort trip.

She did not know whether they had borrowed against the account or withdrawn the money outright. Either way, she found it odd. Relatives also thought the long stay was unusual. They assumed Tristan simply loved water parks, and she described him as "amazing" and "very happy."

The couple sent photos throughout the trip to show loved ones how much fun they were having. Metallica remains charged with two counts of criminal homicide. She is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

Surveillance Cameras Captured the Family Hours Before Police Arrived

As we previously reported, Chaz Harrison and his 3-year-old son, Tristan, were found stabbed to death inside their room at Great Wolf Lodge in the Pocono Mountains on October 12. Investigators have since released details of the family's last recorded movements, the 911 call, and statements Metallica allegedly made to officers.

The family, who lived in Towanda in Bradford County, were found dead inside Room 2030 in Scotrun, Pennsylvania. Both had suffered fatal stab wounds, according to a criminal complaint.

According to CBS News Philadelphia, surveillance cameras captured the family's movements on Sunday, October 11, just hours before the tragedy unfolded. At approximately 6:53 p.m., all three family members were seen entering their hotel room.

About an hour later, a woman appeared to leave the room to use a microwave. Later that night, the couple visited the resort's arcade before returning to their room at approximately 11:22 p.m.

It was the last time surveillance cameras documented the family's movements before police arrived the following afternoon. By then, the father and his little boy were dead.

Chilling 911 Call Reveals a Mother's Disturbing Claims

At approximately 3:13 p.m. on October 12, Pocono Township police rushed to Great Wolf Lodge after receiving a desperate 911 call from a woman asking for help. The caller was identified as Metallica Rose Harrison, 27, Charles Harrison's wife and the mother of their 3-year-old son.

According to 6abc's reporting on the criminal complaint, Metallica told the dispatcher she needed police assistance because she wanted to end her life. She reportedly said she had knives but was unable to use them as she intended.

Then came an even more horrifying revelation. When the dispatcher asked whether she was alone, Metallica allegedly disclosed that her husband and young son were already dead in the bed.

Despite that admission, the complaint states that she never requested medical assistance for either of them. When officers reached the room, they found Metallica standing near the doorway, suffering from bleeding cuts on her wrist and puncture wounds around her neck.

Investigators said she told police she wanted to be with her husband and son. Inside the room, officers made the devastating discovery. Charles had suffered multiple stab wounds to his chest. His 3-year-old son appeared to have sustained a single stab wound to his chest.

Both were pronounced dead. Authorities subsequently charged Metallica with two counts of criminal homicide, accusing her of fatally stabbing her husband and child.

She was transported by ambulance to St. Luke's Hospital's Monroe Campus in Stroudsburg for treatment. Investigators also noted that they found no defensive wounds on her body.

Bloodshed, Two Knives, and Medication Bottles Inside the Hotel Room

As investigators examined the scene, they uncovered evidence that raised further questions about what had happened behind the closed door. According to Fox News Digital, police recovered two knives with teal green handles from the bathroom.

A large kitchen knife was discovered on the bathroom floor, while a smaller knife was lying on the sink. Resort employees reportedly told investigators that neither knife was the type normally kept at Great Wolf Lodge.

Officers also discovered several medication bottles scattered throughout the room. However, investigators have not publicly established who owned the knives, what medications were inside the bottles, or whether those medications had any connection to the deaths.

Monroe County District Attorney Michael Mancuso described the room as a "complex double homicide scene." He praised the efforts of Pocono Township police, Pennsylvania State Police forensic investigators, and the Monroe County coroner's office as authorities worked to determine exactly what had happened.

But the evidence inside the room was only part of the troubling picture. The criminal complaint also revealed a series of emotional statements Metallica allegedly made after officers arrived.

'It Wasn't Supposed to End Like This': Mother's Heartbreaking Words

During her ambulance ride to the hospital, Metallica reportedly made several statements about her shattered hopes for the family she had always wanted.

"It wasn't supposed to end like this. I was supposed to have my happy family. That's what I envisioned since I was a child." She also allegedly spoke about how hard she had tried to fulfill her responsibilities as a mother and wife.

"Every day, I work so hard. To be the best person, the best mother, the best wife." According to court records, Metallica also acknowledged making a serious mistake and spoke about needing energy and strength.

She reportedly discussed suicide with officers, including the possibility of another attempt in the future. Yet when investigators approached her at the hospital, her willingness to speak appeared to end.

After a detective read Metallica her Miranda rights and asked whether she would explain what had brought her to the hospital, she allegedly replied that she was "suicidal, not stupid" and refused to answer questions about the deaths.

At a news conference on Tuesday, October 13, Mancuso confirmed that Metallica remained hospitalized in police custody. But one of the most haunting questions surrounding the deaths remained unanswered.

Mystery Deepens as Prosecutors Admit They Have No Motive

During Tuesday's news conference outside the Pocono Township Police Department, Mancuso was pressed about what could have driven the alleged killings.

As reported by PennLive, the district attorney acknowledged that determining a motive remained one of the investigation's most difficult challenges. Authorities have not publicly established a motive for the deaths.

Mancuso said investigators were continuing to examine the evidence in an effort to understand what unfolded inside the hotel room. He also stressed that Metallica remains presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges against her beyond a reasonable doubt.

Monroe County Coroner Thomas Yanac Jr. said autopsies of Charles and his son were scheduled for later in the week. Pocono Township Police Chief Chris Wagner thanked his officers, Pennsylvania State Police, and other agencies for their work on the case.

Authorities described the killings as an isolated domestic tragedy and assured the public there was no continuing threat.

Great Wolf Lodge, meanwhile, confirmed it was cooperating with law enforcement and expressed deep sadness over the deaths, extending its thoughts to the grieving family and loved ones.

Resort spokesperson Jason Lasecki also confirmed that staff were assisting investigators. A representative said responding officers quickly determined that other guests were not facing an ongoing security threat.

But while the immediate danger had passed, the investigation was far from over. Police soon turned their attention to the family's hometown, roughly two hours away.

Police Descend on Family Home as Neighbors Reveal Troubling Details

On Tuesday evening, October 13, Monroe County investigators traveled north to Towanda, where the Harrison family lived. According to WNEP, Pocono Township police vehicles were spotted near the intersection of Pratt Avenue and Sayre Street.

Officers searched a property identified in court documents as belonging to Metallica Rose Harrison. Investigators have not disclosed what they were searching for or whether they recovered any additional evidence.

Meanwhile, neighbors began sharing what little they knew about the family at the center of the tragedy. Several residents described the Harrisons as private people who largely kept to themselves.

But one neighbor, speaking off camera, revealed that they had occasionally heard yelling coming from the property. Another resident, Lee Henry, who had lived along Pratt Avenue for more than a decade, said he had rarely interacted with the family.

He did, however, remember seeing the couple's young son playing outside during the summer. Henry described the Harrisons as a family who generally stayed close to home rather than socializing around the neighborhood.

Other residents expressed sympathy for the relatives now grappling with the deaths of a father and his little boy.

As investigators examined both the resort room and the family's Towanda property, another devastating case involving a mother and her children offered a reminder of the complicated questions that can arise when family tragedies intersect with mental health.

Another Mother's Alleged Killings Sparked a Fierce Mental Health Debate

The Pennsylvania tragedy comes amid a broader national debate about maternal mental health, fueled in part by a separate Massachusetts case involving a mother accused of killing her three young children.

Lindsay Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, was accused of killing her children in 2023. Clancy was 36 when her murder trial examined questions surrounding her mental health following the birth of her youngest child.

According to a September 2026 CNN report, the judge declared a mistrial after jurors failed to agree on whether Clancy was criminally responsible for the deaths. Her three children had been strangled inside the family's suburban Massachusetts home.

Clancy subsequently injured her wrists and throat before jumping from a second-story window. During the trial, prosecutors argued that she understood her actions were wrong and had the ability to obey the law.

Her defense attorneys painted a different picture, maintaining that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, a rare but serious psychiatric condition, and was therefore not criminally responsible.

Medical records and testimony revealed that Clancy had sought extensive professional help after giving birth.

She had been treated by psychiatrists and therapists, attended an outpatient hospital program, and spent five days receiving inpatient psychiatric care at McLean Hospital.

She had also been prescribed several psychiatric medications. As NPR reported in August, Clancy's attorneys described symptoms including insomnia, anxiety, and depression.

One medical provider testified that she had considered whether Clancy might have an underlying mood disorder, including bipolar disorder, but had not identified postpartum psychosis.

Psychiatrist and researcher Veerle Bergink, who has treated hundreds of women with postpartum psychosis, said the symptoms described in Clancy's case were consistent with patterns she had encountered in her professional work. Bergink was not involved in Clancy's treatment or trial.

Mental health advocate Meghan Cliffel, who had previously experienced postpartum psychosis herself, said the intense public scrutiny surrounding the case had been distressing for others who had lived through the condition.

Advocates have since pushed for more research, increased awareness, and better access to specialized treatment. Medical experts emphasize that postpartum psychosis is treatable and that affected women can recover and return to their normal lives.

The wider mental health crisis is significant. According to CNN, mental health conditions affect as many as one in five women in the United States during pregnancy and the first year after childbirth.

They are also the country's leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths. Crucially, however, there is no publicly established evidence that Metallica had postpartum psychosis or any other specific psychiatric diagnosis.

The medication bottles discovered inside the Great Wolf Lodge room do not establish that she had a mental health condition, and investigators have not identified any such diagnosis as a factor in the killings.

The Harrison and Clancy cases remain entirely separate, involving different circumstances, evidence, and legal proceedings.

Family's Final Hours Remain a Mystery as Autopsies Are Awaited

As of Wednesday, October 14, authorities had not released the results of the planned autopsies or announced a motive for the deaths of Charles and his 3-year-old son.

Investigators continued examining evidence gathered from Great Wolf Lodge and the family's Towanda property. Metallica remained charged with two counts of criminal homicide and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

But a chilling gap in the family's final hours remains. Surveillance cameras last documented the family's return to their hotel room at approximately 11:22 p.m. on October 11.

The next afternoon, a disturbing 911 call brought officers to the room, where a father and his young son were found dead. What happened behind that closed door in the hours between those two moments has yet to be publicly explained.

The tragedy bears an unsettling connection to another disturbing case involving an Illinois mother accused of killing her 2-year-old son. Corie Walsh had allegedly been following the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy shortly before her own son's death.