On a Monday afternoon in the Pocono Township, police were dispatched to a guest room at Great Wolf Lodge after a frantic 911 call. The caller, identified as 27-year-old Metallica Rose Harrison of Towanda, claimed she was “too weak to stab my neck” and asked for help dying. When officers entered the room, they discovered the lifeless bodies of her husband, Charles Harrison and their three-year-old son, referred to in the complaint as T.H.. Both victims lay on separate mattresses, each with chest wounds from knives that police later described as a large butcher-style blade and a smaller kitchen knife.
The 911 transcript reveals that the suspect never asked for assistance for the two injured adults; instead she repeatedly said, “my husband and son are already gone in the bed … they’re already gone, I’m sorry.” After the discovery, Harrison was found with superficial cuts on her left wrist and puncture marks near her neck. She received emergency treatment at a local hospital, where she repeatedly told an officer that she was “suicidal, not stupid” and refused to discuss the motive behind the killings.
Fatal events at Great Wolf Lodge
The family had been staying at the resort since September 21, originally planning a short visit that was later extended. Their reservation was set to end on the Tuesday following the incident. Surveillance footage captured the family entering the room for the last time at 11:22 p.m. on the preceding night. In the moments before police arrived, the 911 caller described the knives she possessed as “not working” and expressed a desire to die, indicating a premeditated self-inflicted attempt after the murders.
Police investigation and evidence seized
Following the discovery, investigators obtained search warrants for the Harrison home in Towanda and for the hotel room itself. The warrant application highlighted that individuals in such scenarios often leave written or electronic notes detailing homicidal and suicidal thoughts. At the Towanda residence, law enforcement seized nearly a dozen teal-handled knives, a safe, a journal, a financial notebook, a laptop, and other personal items. The search also aimed to link the knives found at the lodge to any other objects in the home that might clarify the motive.
Resort staff confirmed that the teal knives recovered from the bathroom were not part of the lodge’s inventory. Detectives also noted several bottles of medication scattered across the room and a plastic container that appeared to hold blood. The police report emphasized the need to examine the family’s financial situation and the reasons they had left their ordinary home for an extended stay at the resort, suggesting that monetary stress could be a factor.
Legal actions and upcoming court dates
Monroe County District Attorney Mike Mancuso filed a criminal complaint charging Harrison with two counts of homicide. During her arraignment on Tuesday, a judge denied bail, leaving her in custody while a preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 21. The online docket does not list any attorney representing her at this time.
The Great Wolf Lodge released a statement expressing “deep sadness and heartbreak” over the “violent domestic tragedy” that occurred within its walls. The resort cooperated fully with law enforcement, relocated nearby guests, and continued normal operations after cordoning off the affected area. The Monroe County coroner has slated autopsies for Charles Harrison and his son for later this week.
Authorities continue to piece together the chain of events, focusing on the alleged “dominant” and “controlling” behavior attributed to the suspect by family members, as well as reports that the husband may have harbored resentment toward the child. Until the preliminary hearing, the motive remains speculative, and investigators have described the case as “isolated” with no broader threat to the community.
