Twins 'imprisoned' by debilitating OCD found dead in apparent suicide pact
Identical twin sisters who suffered from chronic Obsessive Compulsive Disorder were found fatally shot in a car near a popular Colorado tourist attraction in what police say may have been a suicide pact.
The bodies of Sara and Amanda Eldritch, 33, were found on Friday inside of a vehicle parked at a rest stop near Canon City, Colo., about three hours away from the home they shared in suburban Denver, according to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office.
The twin sisters made headlines in 2015 after becoming the first people ever to receive deep brain stimulation surgery, typically performed on patients with Parkinson’s disease, in Colorado, reports the Denver Post.
The procedure was a desperate attempt to help them ease the debilitating symptoms of their disorder, which sometimes saw them take ten-hour showers and spend 20 minutes washing their hands until they were rubbed completely raw.
Although the Eldritch sisters said they had been contemplating suicide since the age of 13, they claimed things were finally looking up post-procedure.
"We actually leave the house, we have friends, we go to concerts, we do things," Amanda said following the surgery. "We have a future."
A GoFundMe page set up to help the twins' mother, Kathy Worland, pay for their funeral arrangements describes Sara and Amanda as "creative, artistic, intelligent, compassionate, kind and generous" young women "with big smiles and even bigger hearts."
"Sara and Amanda had an impact on everyone they met, and touched more people than they could have ever realized," it reads. "While they will be missed so very much, Sara and Amanda will live on in the hearts and memories of everyone they left behind."
