The Connecticut woman who rammed a White House barrier with her young daughter in the car before being gunned down by police was suffering from postpartum depression after giving birth last year, her mother has revealed.
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.
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Miriam Carey is pictured at the Connecticut periodontist office where she worked. Her bosses described her as having 'a delightful bedside manner'
Surrounded: Police officers surround the car with their weapons drawn after the female driver rammed a barricade close to the White House on Thursday
Luxury Car: Police swarm around the Nissan Infiniti car on grass near the U.S. Capitol October 3, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC
Rescued: This is little Erica, the one-year-old daughter of Miriam Carey who was miraculously rescued safely from her mother's bullet-riddled car
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.'
Pictured: A neighbor has confirmed to MailOnline that this is Miriam Carey, the woman who is believed to have been shot dead by Capitol Police
Aftermath: Capitol Hill police officers look at a car following a shooting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013. A police officer was reported injured after gunshots at the U.S. Capitol
Impact: A veteran Capitol Police officer smashed his squad car into a barrier while rushing to the scene of the incident. He was not severely injured
Run For Cover: Seen from the US Capitol, tourists flee as Capitol Police are seen outside of the Senate side of the Capitol Building on October 3, 2013 in Washington, DC
High alert: A man runs for cover as a police officer takes a shooting position on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC today
Events Unfolded just after 2 p.m. today in Washington D.C. when the vehicle driven by an unidentified woman crashed into security gates at the White House sparking a furious chase that ended at the Capitol
BRAVE CAPITOL POLICE RISKED THEIR LIVES FOR FREE BECAUSE OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
When Congress reconvened after the lock-down Thursday afternoon, the Capitol Police officers who stopped Miriam Carey got a standing ovation - but not much else.
The 1,800 officers who protect the nation's capital are currently working for free thanks to the government shutdown.
The officers are considered essential staff - so they are turning up for work, but won't get paid for their service until the impasse ends and Congress agrees to fund the government.
Congressmen tweeted about hiding in coat rooms and ducking behind cars during the harrowing moments before Carey was killed within sight of the Capitol Building.
Meanwhile, the officers who risked their lives haven't been paid since Tuesday, thanks to Congress' in-fighting over whether to pass a Continuing Resolution to fund day-to-day operations.
Witnesses say Carey plowed through a temporary barrier and hit a Secret Service agent who was trying to wave her off - sending him flying onto the hood of her car.
The Secret Service opened fire on her car as she turned and fled.
Police pursued her through the streets of Capitol Hill during a frantic chase that hit speeds up to 80pmh.
Video footage shows the Capitol Police officers - who have not been paid since Tuesday because of the government shutdown - surrounded Casey's car - guns drawn. At one point an officer even sticks his weapon inside her open passenger-side window.
But even being blocked in by cops didn't stop her, she wheels the car around, hitting a police cruiser and nearly striking several officers, and flees.
Officers can be heard shooting at her car as it drives off.
Moments later, Carey was shot and killed - within sight of the Capitol Building, and just behind the U.S. Supreme Court.
She was not armed.
The Secret Service agent she hit sustained minor injuries. A veteran Capitol Police officer who was rushing to the scene smashed into an emergency barrier in his squad car and had to be airlifted to the hospital. His injuries were not major, Chief Dine said.
Carey is reportedly a 32-year-old dental hygienist who lived in Stamford, Connecticut
A police bomb squad parked outside the apartment of Miriam Carey in Stamford, Connecticut. Officers sent a robot in to inspect it before searching the premises
Authorities put on full HazMat gear to enter Carey's apartment in Stamford
A full bomb squad responded to the apartment. It is not clear what investigators found inside and what made them believe the site was contaminated
Carey grew up in Brooklyn, New York. A neighbor of her sister, Amy Carey, told MailOnline the two sisters don't get along.
'They just don't see eye-to-eye,' Ruth Macon said.
Her former boss, Connecticut Periodontist Dr Brian Evans, told the New York Daily News that she fell down a flight of stairs two years ago and sustained a significant head injury, but never showed signs of mental illness while she was working at the practice.
'There was never insubordination per se or anything like that, but she tended to go against the grain a bit,' he said.
Dr Evans also said that Carey 'seemed happy' when she learned she was pregnant with her child.
A website for the dental practice said that Carey brought 'a delightful bedside manner,' as well as a degree is nutrition to help patients.
A U.S. Park Police chopper is loaded with a police officer who was injured in the car rampage
Treatment: Capitol Hill police and medics take a shooting victim away on a stretcher at the site of a shooting October 3, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Consoled: Police gather near the scene on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013, after gunshots were heard. Police say the U.S. Capitol has been put on a security lockdown
Both Secret Service agents and Capitol police officers opened fire on the car in at least two locations near the White House and Capitol Hill.
President Obama, who was taking part in an engagement in Maryland, was briefed on the incident.
Matthew Coursen was on his way to a legislative office building when the car sped by him.
He said: 'The car was trying to get away. But it was going over the median and over the curb.
'The car got boxed in and that's when I saw an officer of some kind draw his weapon and fire shots into the car.'
Mr Coursen said: 'I thought to myself, ''The car is getting blocked in. The car is going to surrender,'" he said.
'Now the cop has his weapon out. The car kept trying to get away. Then he fired shots.'
Fleeing: People run for cover as police converge to the site of a shooting October 3, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The US Capitol was placed on security lockdown Thursday after shots were fired outside the complex
No Chances: Members of the U.S. Secret Service counter assult team patrols the grounds of the White House October 3, 2013 in Washington, DC.
Eye-witness Frank Schwing, who lives in DC, told reporters that when the vehicle approached the area of the Capitol building, several squad cars stopped it and officers 'came out with their guns drawn'.
The armed officers tried to open the passenger side door, he said.
Mr Schwing continued: 'At that point, the driver slammed into reverse, slammed into a cruiser, did a 180 (degree turn), took off, and at that point, there were a half dozen or so shots fired.'
During the lock down, Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo) told MSNBC: 'We’ve locked the doors. We closed the window shades. And we are awaiting further instructions.
'We’re more or less cut off here. We’re watching TV and just trying to figure out what happened.'
A damaged US Capitol police car is seen following a car chase and reported shooting incident, on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, USA, 03 October 2013
Fighting Force: An armed unit makes it's way to the U.S. Capitol following a shooting in Washington October 3, 2013. The Capitol was in lockdown on Thursday
Armed Agents: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents patrol the area after gunshots were fired outside the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, October 3, 2013
Protect: A U.S. Capitol police officer lies on the steps of the Senate with a gun drawn in response to a report of shots fired Thursday, Oct. 3, 2012
Emergency personal help an injured person after a shooting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013. Police say the U.S. Capitol has been put on a security lockdown amid reports of possible shots fired outside the building
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Armed for A U.S. Capitol Police officer stands guard following a shooting near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, October 3, 2013. The Capitol was in lockdown on Thursday
Terror: People take cover as gun shots are heard at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on October 3, 2013. The US Capitol was placed on security lockdown
Response: Police react on Capitol Hill October 3, 2013 in Washington, DC, after shots fired were reported near 2nd Street NW and Constitution Avenue on Capitol Hill
Ready: Secret Service agents in uniform lock down the North Lawn and entrances to the White House, after reports of a shooting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, October 3, 2013
All Precautions Taken: A member of the US Secret Service looks out toward Lafayette Park from the roof of the White House in Washington, DC, October 3, 2013, following reports of a shooting at the US Capitol
Lockdown: A member of the Capitol Police dons a protective vest in the basement of the US Capitol following reports of a shooting on October 3, 2013 in Washington, DC
Rush: Police run at the corner of Constitution and First Street next to a wrecked police car after shots fired were reported near 2nd Street NW and Constitution Avenue on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC
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