Allyson McConnell (née Meagher) was born in November 1978 in Gosford, New South Wales, Australia. Even from a young age, she struggled with depression and attempted suicide multiple times throughout her life. In 2006, while on a working holiday, she met Curtis McConnell at the Delta Ski Resort in Kamloops, British Columbia. The couple quickly connected and married in Australia in January 2007.

That summer, their first child, Connor, was born. The couple later settled in Millet, Alberta, where they purchased a house and started their family life. In March 2009, Allyson gave birth to their second son, Jayden. At the time, she was working for an oil company, while Curtis worked in a hardware store. Despite this picture of a growing family, tensions in the marriage surfaced quickly. By late 2009, their relationship was falling apart.

Curtis began living in the basement, and Allyson sank into deep depression. In December 2009, he filed for divorce. The separation quickly escalated into a bitter custody dispute. Curtis wanted the children to stay in Canada, while Allyson wanted to take them to Australia. A judge sided with Curtis, ruling the children must remain in Canada. The decision weighed heavily on Allyson, intensifying her feelings of desperation and anger.

In late January or early February 2010, 33‑year‑old Allyson McConnell drowned her two sons — two‑and‑a‑half‑year‑old Connor and ten‑month‑old Jayden — in the bathtub of their Millet, Alberta home. The exact date of the murders was never confirmed. After committing the crime, she placed her wedding ring on the toilet seat and drove to Edmonton. After stopping for a meal, she jumped from an overpass in an apparent suicide attempt, landing on the road below.

On February 1, 2010, Edmonton police called Curtis McConnell to notify him of Allyson’s attempted suicide. The officers weren’t aware of the status of the children. Fearing the worst, Curtis returned to their Millet home, broke into the bathroom with a knife, and found both boys floating lifeless in the tub. The discovery was devastating. Curtis later stated that, although he initially refused to accept that Allyson had intentionally killed the children, he came to believe it was an act of revenge after seeing the placement of the wedding ring.

Allyson survived her suicide attempt but suffered numerous broken bones and was placed in the hospital, later being transferred to psychiatric care at Alberta Hospital Edmonton, where she spent approximately fifteen months. The children’s funeral was held five days after their bodies were found, and although family members were mentioned, Allyson was not.

In 2012, she was tried and convicted of manslaughter rather than murder due to a ruling by Justice Michelle Crighton that Allyson lacked the mental state required for a murder charge, citing her depression and memory loss surrounding the event. She was initially sentenced to six years in prison, but this was later reduced to fifteen months, making her eligible for release due to the time she had already spent in psychiatric care.

Shortly after, she was deported to Australia on April 10, 2013, despite efforts by Alberta authorities and her ex‑husband to have her returned to Canada for a retrial and a harsher sentence. The appeal was set for October 30, 2013. However, in September 2013, a person found Allyson’s body under the Brian McGowan Bridge in West Gosford, New South Wales. Her lawyer confirmed she had taken her own life. Alberta Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk announced her death with a statement expressing the tragedy of the case.