Another sad ending to another sad tale

From the Associated Press:

A woman charged with snatching her children from their beds during a home invasion at their grandmother’s house died after being hit by a bus, police said.

Nora Montano [pictured], 35, was riding a bicycle when she ran a red light and was hit by a school bus about 7 a.m. Monday, police said. Montano was airlifted to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, where she was pronounced dead from head trauma.

Montano, a U.S. Army private, lost legal custody of her two children in November 2002 after she began suffering from bipolar disorder, according to court records. Her mother was given custody of the children.

Montano and husband Jose Montano spent about 18 hours on the run with their children, then ages 2 and 3, until authorities caught them at a motel in the Florida Panhandle in June 2003. The children were unharmed.

Nora Montano had been found not guilty by reason of insanity.

She had been living in a group home until a couple weeks ago when she was kicked out for not taking her medication and losing control, according to her attorney, Patrick Rastatter. She was living with caregiver Martha Paret while her guardians found a new group home.

She left a note for Paret about Monday morning saying she was biking 3 1/2 miles to a store.

“I think they let her leave the hospital too soon,” Paret said.

For a more in-depth look:

School bus kills troubled mother

liz | 2:28 PM | Uncategorized