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Dr. Krystal Cascetta, a prominent oncologist in New York City, killed her 4-month-old daughter and then herself in an apparent murder-suicide, police said.
As her patients, colleagues, family and friends mourn their deaths, a state trooper is speaking out to set the record straight about her husband.
The fatal shootings happened in Cascetta’s Somers, New York, home at around 7 a.m. on August 5, according to a news release.
Trooper Steven Nevel tells TODAY.com that Cascetta’s husband Tim Talty, 37, was away at the time, but Cascetta's parents were inside the residence.
An unidentified person in the home called 911 shortly after the first gunshot, Nevel says.
“They heard a gunshot and thought something had fallen in the baby’s nursery,” Nevel says. “When they got to the baby’s nursery, they heard the second gunshot and realized nothing had fallen."
The caller then broke down the door and discovered the two bodies, Nevel says.
Cascetta, 40, was a hematology-oncology specialist in the Mount Sinai Health System, where she served as site chief of the Mount Sinai Queens Infusion Center. The Mount Sinai website describes Cascetta as an "active investigator of breast cancer clinical trials," and notes her "clinical focus includes the treatment of breast cancer, gynecologic cancer, sarcoma and gastrointestinal cancers."
Nevel says his heart goes out to Talty, as he grieves the death of his wife and their only child. Talty and Cascetta got married in 2019. He is the founder of a protein bar that his wife endorsed.
“The trolls on social media are dragging the husband through the mud,” Nevel shares. “But I can tell you 100% unequivocally, without a doubt, that he did not do this.”
“It’s really easy for people to come up with conspiracy theories,” he adds. "He's been nothing but cooperative. The family has been beyond cooperative."
Nevel says he does not have any information about whether Cascetta was struggling with postpartum depression, which affects a half million mothers every year.
A spokesperson for Mount Sinai Health System told TODAY.com in a statement, “The Mount Sinai community is greatly saddened by the tragic loss of a Mount Sinai Health System doctor and her child. We extend our deepest sympathies to Dr. Cascetta’s family, friends, colleagues, and patients.”
Nevel says that Cascetta and her daughter's autopsies were performed on Aug. 6.
Former patients, including author Kambri Crews, are sharing memories of Cascetta on social media.
“Received some heartbreaking news today that my oncologist Dr Krystal Cascetta of Mount Sinai Queens has died. A shocking & terrible tragedy. She was a star in her field, dedicated and lovely, whip smart and a competitive athlete,” Crews wrote, in part, on Facebook.
“I don’t know what what was happening in her life that she felt this was the best end to her story, but I know a large community of survivors, patients and colleagues are broken hearted,” she continued. “I will sorely miss her. She deeply cared for her patients and I am grateful that I was one.”