A 40-year-old Florida schoolteacher faces serious charges after allegedly confessing to the tragic murder of her 6-year-old son. Justine Eve Mroz reportedly called 911, admitting to strangling her child in a moment she described as having “snapped.” This heartbreaking incident has led to her arrest and a charge of second-degree murder, characterized by danger and depravity but without premeditation, according to court documents.

The young victim has been identified as Elliot Perez, authorities informed Law&Crime. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office released a statement detailing the sequence of events that led deputies to a home on Drexel Road in Land O’Lakes, Florida, around 9:50 a.m. on Sunday. The release confirmed that Mroz herself contacted dispatchers to report the tragic event.

Details from the probable cause affidavit paint a picture of a deeply troubled situation. Mroz, who finalized her divorce in July, had picked up her son from his father’s care and put him to bed on the evening of October 18th, around 6:30 p.m. Alarmingly, she revealed that just the day before the incident, she had experienced suicidal thoughts and had attempted to suffocate herself with a plastic bag, only stopping when panic set in.

According to a news release from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, deputies around 9:50 a.m. on Sunday responded to a home in the area of Drexel Road in Land O’Lakes, Florida, regarding the suspected homicide of a juvenile male. The release stated that the suspect, an adult female, called and “reported the incident to dispatch” herself.

A probable cause affidavit says that Mroz, who divorced her husband in July, had picked up her son from his father and put the boy to bed at about 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 18. One day prior, Mroz said she had been suicidal and attempted to suffocate herself with a plastic bag, but removed the bag after “panicking.”

On the morning of Oct. 19, she said she went into her son’s room at about 7 a.m. and observed that he had vomited. She then cleaned up the mess and put the television on for the boy.

A short while later, Elliot, who has autism and is nonverbal, allegedly began “banging his head on the floor.” Mroz said that when she attempted to restrain the boy, he became physically combative, kicking and biting her before striking the left side of her face.

She then confessed to using her bare hands to kill Elliot as he fought to save his own life, the affidavit says. According to the document:

She snapped, got mad, grabbed him with her hands and choked him with both hands. Justine Mroz eventually pinned [Elliot] down on the ground on his back and began kneeling over [his] body. Justine Mroz straddled [the victim] as she was in a mount position and squeezed [his] neck as hard as she could. [Elliot] began fighting and Justine Mroz continued to squeeze his neck until he became lifeless. Justine Mroz then went into the dining room, cut her wrists, and called 911. Justine Mroz then sent a text message to family members saying she was sorry.

Mroz was initially transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital North for treatment of her own injuries. Authorities said she tested positive for THC.

The Pasco County School District confirmed to Tampa NBC affiliate WFLA that Mroz was employed by the district, but declined to provide details about her duties. Jessica Meek, the public information officer for the school board, released the following statement to the station:

Pasco County Schools can confirm that Justine Mroz is employed by Pasco County Schools. She has been arrested by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office and will not be on any school campus. In accordance with Pasco County Schools policy and employee privacy laws, no additional information will be provided at this time. On behalf of the entire Pasco County Schools family, we extend our deepest condolences to all who are grieving. We are deploying crisis teams to provide care and support to those affected by this heartbreaking event.

Mroz is currently being held without bond. She is scheduled to appear in court at the West Pasco County Judicial Center on Oct. 27 for a status hearing.