 The next day , he asked Green — who had no interest in gardening that he knew of — what she had intended to do with the seeds . Though she initially claimed that she was going to plant them , when pressed she said that she intended to use them to commit suicide . Green 's drinking was especially heavy that day , and as her behavior grew stranger , Farrar contacted the police for assistance in placing Green into psychiatric care . Police who responded to the home described Farrar and the children as " shaken " and Green 's behavior as " bizarre " . Though Green did not seem to hold the police 's presence against them and gave them no resistance , she denied being suicidal and called Farrar a series of obscenities . Farrar showed police the seed packets and other items he had found in her purse the day before , and the police transported Green to a nearby emergency room . The physician who attended her there found Green to be smelling strongly of alcohol , but not visibly drunk . Though Green appeared unkempt , the doctor felt her demeanor was not unusual for someone going through a bitter divorce and noted that Green professed no desire to hurt herself or others when the doctor interviewed her privately . However , when Farrar came into view in the hospital , Green 's demeanor changed . According to the doctor , Green spat at him , called him obscene names , and stated that " You 're going to get these kids over our dead bodies " . Though Green , with some persuasion by the doctor , initially agreed to a voluntary commitment , she shortly thereafter left the ER without informing anyone . She was found hours later , apparently having decided to walk home from the hospital , and brought back to the hospital . There , she agreed again to a voluntary commitment to the Menninger Clinic in Topeka , Kansas . 
