Ex-Henderson councilwoman Vermillion may have tried to kill herself

Kathleen Vermillion's teenage daughter found her at home after the former Henderson councilwoman appeared to have overdosed on prescription pills in a possible suicide attempt Friday, a source close to the family said.

Vermillion "was in and out of it" when the 15-year-old found her, the source said.

The city Fire Department responded at 6:52 a.m. Friday to a 911 call made from Vermillion's home. Details of that call were not available Tuesday afternoon, but the source said the call was made by the daughter.

The Henderson city attorney's office was reviewing the recording to determine whether it contains confidential medical information, a city spokeswoman wrote in an email Tuesday.

Vermillion, 44, was hospitalized at the St. Rose Dominican Hospital's Siena Campus and kept in protective custody.

Another source close to the family said Vermillion consumed alcohol to take the pills. She since has been released from the hospital, according to reports.

Vermillion called Henderson police from the hospital at 9 p.m. Friday. During the call, she asked for an officer to make sure her 19-year-old son was not at her home or using her car, according to a recording.

She identified herself as a former city councilwoman and said she is in the hospital.

"They have me in protective custody," she is heard telling the dispatcher.

When the dispatcher asks why, she responds, "I'm not at liberty to say that."

Vermillion also talked about being in contact with Child Protective Services regarding her daughter, who lives with her. She thought the girl had gone to her father's house, Vermillion said on the recording.

At Vermillion's house in Henderson, a woman at the door would not answer questions Tuesday afternoon.

"She's had enough," the woman said.

Neighbors in the gated community near Stephanie Street and Warm Springs Road said Vermillion's house usually was quiet, though a few TV news vans visited the street earlier Tuesday.

Vermillion is being investigated by the FBI amid allegations that she misused funds from the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, a charity she started a decade ago.

Last month, she filed a lawsuit against Clark County officials and ex-boyfriend County Commissioner Steve Sisolak accusing them of defamation and invading her privacy after she said drug test results were released revealing she was positive for methadone. The test was requested by her charity's board of directors.

Sisolak turned around and filed a report with the Metropolitan Police Department accusing Vermillion and her former legal team of criminal extortion to the tune of $3.9 million. An investigation into those allegations is ongoing.

"My thoughts and prayers are with Kathleen at this time, and her family, especially her two children, who showed a tremendous amount of love and maturity," Sisolak said in a statement. "That's all I can say."

The FBI recently joined the Nevada attorney general office's investigation of Vermillion's use of charitable and city of Henderson funds, focusing on her finances, her role in the charity and the Homeless Youth Foundation, and her former job on the City Council.

Vermillion resigned from the council after the allegations surfaced and later resigned from the partnership itself.

Both the FBI and the attorney general's office would neither confirm nor deny whether they were conducting an investigation, per department policy.

Contact reporter Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@review journal.com or 702-455-4519. Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0281.