(Photos)The woman who was shot dead near the White House was suffering from postpartum depression

I'm sure you all heard the news of the 34
year old dental hygienist woman who was
shot dead yesterday afternoon by police
after she rammed her car against a White
House barrier with her young daughter in
the car and led police on a chase. It's
been revealed that Miriam Carey was
suffering from postpartum depression
after giving birth last year. Daily Mail
reports
The revelation by Miriam Carey's
family is the first hint at what could
have caused the dental hygienist to
drive her Infiniti luxury sedan 270
miles from her home in suburban
Stamford to Washington, DC -
where her rampage put the
nation's capital on lock-down
Thursday. Carey's daughter Erica,
who was in the back seat, was not
injured, despite the Secret Service
and U.S. Capitol police firing up to
15 shots into her car. Little Erica
was rescued from the bullet-riddled
car after her mother was shot
dead. She is currently in the
custody of child services workers.
Miriam's mother Idella Carey told ABC
News that her daughter Miriam 'had
postpartum depression after having the
baby' in August 2012.
'A few months later, she got sick. She
was depressed. ... She was hospitalized,'
Mrs Carey added.
A former employer said Miriam sustained
a head injury when she fell down stair
last year. When she returned to work
after recovering, she was pregnant. She
was not married to the father but
'seemed happy' about the pregnancy, the
former boss said.
Authorities said the single-mother had a
'history of mental illness' but did not
elaborate.
Carey's former boss of eight years, Dr
Steven Oken, said in the eight years he
knew Miriam she was 'always happy' -
and not interested in politics. Neighbors
told the New York Daily News she was
'a nice young lady, stable.'
That portrait contrasts starkly with the
woman who sent Congressmen diving for
coatrooms in the Capitol Building and
tourists fleeing in terror after she tried to
force her way into an entrance to the
White House about 2pm on Tuesday.
Despite the sensitive location, Capitol
Police Chief Kim Dine said: 'This appears
to be an isolated incident.There is no
nexus to terrorism.'
See photos