By Ken Skibum Curtzwiler, Feb 24, 2026
Hi everyone… I made a post last night, asking for prayers for a wonderful brave caring mom who is in ICU in Reno currently. Because I was doing my best to not mention names. Many of you misunderstood who I was hoping for prayers for.
It’s not my mom. My mom passed away in 2013. God Bless her Soul. 🙏🏼
I’m now going to air this out. The News about what happened has already hit some media outlets in Placerville and elsewhere around Eldorado County.
I am asking for prayers for a miracle for my ex-wife and the mother of my two sons. Her name is Helen. She is an amazing person. Though our marriage failed.
(100% my fault. I failed her.😞)
I still have tons of love, and have the utmost respect for her.
Helen blessed me with two wonderful, intelligent, beautiful sons.
My oldest son, now 24. At some point in his late teens, early 20s became very erratic, increasingly angry, paranoid, and unstable. He started to hear voices in his head.
At some point he turned that anger towards me. It was like a switch had flipped. One day we were hanging out , doing things together. I was trying to teach him guitar. Etc.
He ended up putting a restraining order against me… I lost contact with him completely for almost two full years. I was super depressed about it.
After that happened between my son and I. I was out of the loop and not allowed to contact him or have any interaction that might get me in trouble.
He eventually became paranoid about the roommates he was living with in Carson City at the time. So he moved back home with his mom in Tahoe. After a period of time had another psychotic break and his erratic behavior turned towards his mom, his best friends, and everyone around him. (Everyone who knew and loved him.)
He ended up getting in trouble with the law. He was eventually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and Bi-Polar disorder 3 or 4 years ago. Basically during and after Covid.
He spend almost a year in jail last time and was released on a deferment program of two years probation. As long as he continued to see his mental health counselor, stayed on his psych meds and off of alcohol and any other drugs. If he stayed clean and followed the course, the charges against him would be dropped
He passed the two year probation with flying colors and really had turned his life around.
He and I had repaired our relationship, and I thought I finally had my awesome son back.
Sadly, at some point in the last month or two he had decided that he no longer needed to stay on his psych meds… We were all worried sick, but hoping for the best.
This ended up leading another psychotic break that we’re thinking started a little over a week ago. Right as this last massive storm hit Tahoe. Worst timing possible!
He became increasingly erratic and paranoid that everyone was out to get him.
Helen and I had been in constant communication. She had called mental health and the sheriffs over to her house where he was living with her in Tahoe multiple times. She even managed to take him into the ER trying to get him help and possibly admitted on a 72 hr 5150 hold.
They wouldn’t take him in because he is really good at calming down in front of them and would show no signs of violence or wanting to harm himself.
Helen was scared to death and pleading with the sheriffs to take him in on a 5150 but they still wouldn’t.
(Our laws regarding mental illness are so screwed up!!!)
I was increasingly afraid for her safety. Helen kept reassuring me that he had never become violent towards her.
Long story short. My oldest son viciously attacked her Sunday night and now he’s in jail for attempted murder. Helen is in ICU at Renown Hospital in Reno fighting for her life.
We’re praying for a miracle for her… 🙏🙏🙏
If you can please pray for Helen, our family, his younger brother, and for everyone who loves her. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Please pray for him as well. He truly is a great kid whose brain is short circuiting. Now he’s destroyed his life and the lives of all us around him who just wanted to get him the help he needed. I pleaded with him to get back on his medication when this latest episode began!!!
Having lived with this horrible mental disease that he has for many years now. I cannot even begin to explain how difficult this is to know that my bright eyed, extremely intelligent, handsome son could become this messed up!
Or how he could do this thing to his mom who loved him???
I’m crying as I type this. Sorry. 😔
