-Source-ABC-
The mother of the man suspected of mailing more than a dozen suspicious packages to prominent politicians, media figures and celebrities said she did not raise her children to incite fear, describing her accused son as having been mentally ill "for a long time."
Madeline Sayoc, the mother of 56-year-old Cesar Sayoc, told ABC News in an exclusive letter sent by her attorney that she awoke from surgery last week to learn that he had been accused of mailing at least 14 suspicious packages addressed to liberal politicians and others who support liberal policies, such as Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Robert De Niro.
(MORE: Mail bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc to be transferred to New York for trial)
"While I have not lived with my son for 35 years or even heard from him in over four years, I cannot express how deeply hurt, sad, shocked and confused I am to hear that my son may have caused so many people to be put in fear for their safety," Madeline Sayoc wrote. "This is not how I raised him or my children."
Madeline Sayoc said her son has struggled with mental illness for some time, adding that the nation has work to do in how it deals with mental health.
"My son has been ill for a long time and my family and I have tried, over and over again, without success to urge him to get the help he needs," she wrote. "We, in America, have a mental health crisis in this country and need to change laws to allow families to compel and require mental health treatment for those in need of such treatment before their illness worsens to where it is too late." Read more