Relatives of 34-year-old mother of 2 think repeated jail releases had deadly consequences

HOUSTON - "This is one of the last pictures we have of her, that's not a mugshot," said Kristin Morgan.

Having more than a dozen mugshots doesn't mean Alison Marie Cardenas was a hardened criminal. In this case, it means she needed help.

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"Growing up, her and I spent a lot of time together," said Kristin, Alison's sister. 

She says Alison started struggling with mental health issues around 2017.

"2020, 2021, she had what I would call a psychotic break," Kristin said. "There was no more clarity."

Alison's alleged crimes appear to be panic and drug-induced.

"She was never a violent offender, she wasn't. She just did things impulsively," said Kristin.

Every time Alison would get arrested, a judge would grant her a personal recognizance bond, and she'd be right back out.

"She never came back," Kristin said. "One, she didn't have the ability to come back, two, she didn't even know what day it was."

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In court documents, Alison was identified as suffering from suspected mental illness at least half a dozen times.

So what happened? Nothing, except judges continuously giving her get out of jail free cards.

"I reached out to a judge personally. I got a response two weeks after she was let go," Kristin said. "My mom had a similar experience where she had written a judge. My dad was a huge advocate for my sister. He wrote every judge she came in front of. But because she's released on these bonds, I don't think she even really saw a judge."

Kristin says Alison's most recent court-appointed attorney realizes she needed to be committed.

"He had made the comment to my older sister, had they not let her go on that bond, we could have had a program for her. She was due back on September 30, and she died on October 8," said Kristin.

Someone walking their child to school found Alison's body with no shoes or personal belongings.

The system had failed Alison for the last time. The Medical Examiner has yet to rule on the exact cause of her death.