From the evidence gathered so far, it appears that Adam Lanza, the murderer of 27 people in Newtown, Connecticut, was not taking any medication. In a search of the Lanza home he shared with his mother, cellphones, computers and computer games were found – but no medication.
Lanza’s parents had spoken of his diagnosis with Asperger’s syndrome, but that disease has no connection with violent behavior.
Former FBI agent Robert Paquette said:
They are looking at everything. They are poring over anything and everything. Was he on meds? Did he go off meds? How was his relationship with his mother? What video games did he play? How often did he play? Where did he learn to shoot? How often did he shoot? … Forensics are going to tell us who died where and when. What they want to determine is why.
Experts are trying to determine what other diseases might have affected Lanza; Dr. H. Wayne Carver, the chief state medical examiner, said he is consulting with a geneticist at the University of Connecticut to find out “if there is any identifiable disease associated with this behavior.”
If it is true that Lanza took no medication, the question remains: why wasn’t he taking anything? Was he getting appropriate care? And if Nancy Lanza wanted to involuntarily commit her son, was he even receiving psychiatric treatment?