He’s A Mess
Podcast Schedule: Tuesday, Thursday
You have no doubt noticed that Neil Mackay’s child — Scotty — has sort of disappeared from our narrative. Not that he has been forgotten. In fact, he is anything but forgotten. And now that the question has been posed, I can say this: At this point in our story, Scotty is a mess. Here’s what psychiatrist Dr. Barry Mendelsohn — someone who’d examined him in the divorce matter, before his mother’s murder – here’s what he said of Scotty in the days and months after Muriel’s death:
“A major area of anxiety [for Scotty] is in relation to the loss of [his] mother. He has a strong sense of loss and a magical expectation that his mother will return. He has a desire to join his mother.”
Dr. Barry Mendelsohn, psychiatrist
“The Singing Shrink”
There’s more, still courtesy of Dr. Mendelsohn:
[Mendelsohn] Scotty showed anxiety in his play with other children. Anxiety over dirty play – in dirt. Anxiety relating to death of mother… Some anxiety in his play. Playroom sessions – direct play. Would play games, drawing and sand tray technique. Done with little direction. It’s a useful tool. Usually say, “what would you like to do.” It was a play activity he liked.
[Mendelsohn] Played in a playroom with a castle. He knocked everything down, said, “things are bombed and on fire.” Child of this age ascribes causation to self. Notoriety of this case – Scotty listens for his name on TV and feels a great deal of responsibility. Absence of father is seen as something, “I did.” Children of this age mirror what is going on around them. [Scotty shows] confusion in the object of relationships.
[Scotty is a] confused child. His play is disorganized.
[Mendelsohn] I was talking about Scotty’s feeling of responsibilities. He verbalizes things that don’t relate to his environment. Said, “I don’t hate my grandma.” Grandma was a significant mothering figure. He has demonstrated closeness to her.
[Mendelsohn] Statements by Scotty not always a reflection of the way Scotty feels. He’s open to what people say to him. He’s searching for stability. There are discrepancies in terms of his behavior. We’re into the area of what people do to confuse small children. These [things he is saying] are feelings of Mackay. Mackay is egocentric – has clear ideas about people.
Scotty Wasn’t Always This Way
And then there was this. Said because Dr. Mendelsohn had seen Scotty previously. During the divorce – and before the murder. “He hasn’t always been this way. I first met him in 1974 – his health was good. Initially his health was good – before his mother’s death.”
Neil S. Mackay’s sister
Carolina Willis: Scotty’s Paternal Aunt
At one point during the custody matter, the presiding judge turned Scotty over to the care of his paternal aunt — his father Neil’s younger sister — and her husband, Alfred. She, too, experiences a troubled and traumatized Scotty. Her relationship with her brother Neil turns especially fraught once the judge singles her out for temporary custody: Neil gives her a “final paycheck” and kicks she and her husband out of their apartment (in his building). This, in turn, forces them to move to Eagle River — 20 minutes north of Anchorage — to take an apartment management position.
[Carolina] “I told the one other tenant, the contractor, I said if I were on the other side of that wall listening to that child scream, I would report you — or report myself, or the individual on the other side of the wall — for child abuse.”
[Carolina] He got into a cafe in Eagle River that first Saturday night, after we moved his room in its entirety. He got on the floor like a little animal and screamed, “don’t touch me. Don’t come near me.” And he just laid there and screamed on the floor and that is — there is witnesses to that fact. My husband picked him up in his coat and carried him out. And l was sitting there crying, telling them we’ve never laid a hand on this child…
[Carolina] And l had to tell them who he was. That’s another thing I have — I can only use the services of Mrs. Pfeil. This child’s picture is in the paper. The night that that paper came out, we had 4 phone calls. I take the phone off the hook… [And, no] I do not suggest his father beats him.
Eagle River, AK
Dr. Ralph Ackley, M.D. & Psychiatrist
Dr. Ackley testified in custody proceedings on behalf of Neil S. Mackay, Scotty’s father. As part of this role, he interviewed both Carolina Willis and Dr. Barry Mendelsohn.
[Ackley] Mrs. Willis described seriously disturbed behavior on Scotty’s part. He’s unable to sleep without someone there. He’s terrified if he’s left alone. Scotty said – “I want to be with my daddy.” He asked a lot about his mother. Dr. Mendelsohn confirmed his night terrors.
Children Don’t Understand Death
Numerous studies have examined the extent to which children understand the concept — and reality — of death. The simple answer is that, before the age of six — they don’t.
The Book: Kill Brother, Kill Sister
Kill Brother, Kill Sister is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other fine bookstores (paperback and ebook).
Copyright Leland E. Hale (2026)