Shanna Hogan Death: True-Crime Author Dead At 38 In Pool Accident At Home

KEY POINTS

The 38-year-old accidentally fell inside the pool and hit her head
She remained in the ICU for several days before passing away Sept. 1
The true-crime author leaves behind her 15-month-old son and husband of nearly 20 years

Shanna Hogan, the New York Times bestselling true-crime author, died in a pool accident at her Phoenix home, media reports said Tuesday.

On Aug. 27, the 38-year-old was swimming with her toddler son, Zander, when she slipped and fell inside the pool. She hit her head and was left submerged in the water, People magazine reported. Hogan's husband, Matt LaRussa, arrived and found his 14-month-old son safely outside the pool in his life vest, but his wife unconscious in the water. He pulled Hogan out of the pool and performed CPR till the paramedics arrived.

Hogan was rushed to a local hospital, where she remained in the ICU in critical condition for several days before she died Sept. 1, her friend and former colleague Kathleen "Katie" Mayer told People magazine. Mayer set up a GoFundMe page on behalf of Hogan's family, aimed at raising "money to pay for the family's extensive medical bills, memorial costs and to support Zander as he grows up without a mother."

Mayer said that Hogan's family decided to donate her organs, which have already gone to save the lives of four people.

"At a time where human kindness is so desperately needed, we've lost one of the people who gave that to our world, but Shanna's writing will live on, the lives she saved will live on and her greatest creation — her little boy — will live on to inspire all of us," Mayer said.

According to her website, Hogan became popular after writing several true-crime books, including "Dancing with Death", "Picture Perfect: The Jodi Arias Story", "The Stranger She Loved" and "Secrets of a Marine’s Wife". She previously worked as a reporter at the East Valley Tribune.

Hogan leaves behind a 15-month-old son and her husband of nearly 20 years. On June 9, Hogan posted a message for her son Zander for his first birthday.

"I hope one day my little love muffin brags that both his parents got ‘Z’ and ‘Zander’ tattoos on our arms. He will grow up knowing he’s the center of our world," she wrote in the post. "I would be happy if one day Zander is embarrassed by how much we adore him!"