A woman from Northern Michigan, whose family had gained fame for documenting their challenges in raising an autistic daughter, allegedly tried to kill that daughter in what police believe was a failed murder-suicide.

Kelli Stapleton, 45, and her daughter Isabelle, 14, were found unconscious in a van near Traverse City, Mich. Coals were found in the car and it is believed that Stapleton had rolled the windows up and started a fire so that both she and her daughter would die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

"(Isabelle) is currently receiving help from a respirator and breathing tube, and her blood pressure is stable," Matt Stapleton wrote about his daughter in his email to media. "At this time, she is still unresponsive after being lifted from the medically induced coma she was put in for the treatment of her injuries."

Kelli Stapleton was released Thursday from a Grand Rapids, Mich. hospital, and it is believed that she will soon be arraigned on attempted murder charges. She had been chronicling the struggles of raising her daughter on her blog "The Status Woe," but gave no indication there that she was close to breaking.

Many have speculated that the stress of dealing with Isabelle eventually became too much for Kelli Stapleton to deal with. Isabelle was known to have a volatile temper and would become physically aggressive with her family at times. Despite the circumstances, however, others say that there is no reason for such behavior by Mrs. Stapleton.

"The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is profoundly concerned by a growing trend in the media and on the part of certain autism groups to attempt to justify acts of violence against autistic children and adults.

"...The moment service gaps are used as a means to present the murder or attempted murder of autistic people as understandable or justified, a line is crossed. Too often, when autistic people are the victims of violence, the media seems to present our killers as objects of sympathy."