Pa. Mom Charged in Great Wolf Lodge Husband, Toddler Stabbing

A 27-year-old Pennsylvania woman faces two counts of criminal homicide after allegedly stabbing her husband and 3-year-old son to death inside their extended-stay hotel room at a Pocono Mountains resort.

Metallica Rose Harrison of Towanda is accused of killing Charles Harrison and the couple’s toddler on Oct. 12 inside room 2030 at the Great Wolf Lodge in Scotrun, Pennsylvania. The family had been living at the indoor water park resort for more than three weeks, having checked in Sept. 21 and extended their reservation Oct. 5 with checkout scheduled for the day after the killings.

Monroe County District Attorney Michael Mancuso characterized the room as a “complex double homicide scene” and said investigators are continuing to gather evidence. Harrison is presumed innocent under Pennsylvania law, where criminal homicide charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole when applied to first-degree murder.

Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators shows the family entering their room around 6:53 p.m. on Oct. 11. Harrison and her husband later visited the resort arcade together before returning to the room at approximately 11:22 p.m., according to a criminal complaint affidavit. No further movement was captured until the following afternoon.

At 3:13 p.m. on Oct. 12, Harrison called dispatchers asking for help dying. Pocono Township police arrived to find her standing at the doorway with bleeding wrist cuts and puncture wounds around her neck. She told officers she wanted to be with her husband and son.

Inside the room, Charles Harrison had sustained multiple stab wounds to his chest. The toddler had a single stab wound to the chest. Investigators recovered a large kitchen knife from the bathroom floor and a smaller knife from the bathroom sink. Both weapons had teal green handles. Resort staff confirmed neither knife belonged to the lodge, indicating they were brought into the room from outside.

Several medication bottles were scattered throughout the space, though authorities have not disclosed whether toxicology results or prescription records factor into the investigation. Extended stays at family resorts like Great Wolf Lodge — which operates 20 locations across North America catering primarily to short-term vacationers — are uncommon. A three-week occupancy often signals temporary housing arrangements rather than leisure travel, though investigators have not publicly detailed why the family was residing there.

During transport to St. Luke’s Hospital Monroe Campus in Stroudsburg, Harrison made statements to emergency responders that prosecutors included in the affidavit.

“Every day, I work so hard. To be the best person, the best mother, the best wife,” she allegedly said. “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.”

Pennsylvania State Police forensic investigators processed the scene alongside township officers and the county coroner’s office. Authorities described the incident as an isolated domestic tragedy and confirmed no ongoing threat to other guests or the surrounding community. Resort security determined immediately that there was no broader security concern.

Great Wolf Lodge released a statement expressing heartbreak over the deaths and confirming full cooperation with law enforcement.

Mancuso indicated additional charges may be forthcoming as the investigation continues. Harrison remains under medical care while formal proceedings advance through the Monroe County court system.