But her remarkable life took an unthinkable turn earlier this week when she was charged with attempted first-degree murder and attempted kidnapping. After donning diapers and a wig, she drove more than 900 miles to allegedly try to abduct and kill a woman whom she saw as a rival in a bizarre love triangle.

"This is certainly odd behavior," said Dr. David Walker, a former military psychiatrist in Georgia who consults for the Forensic Panel in Manhattan. "This is a significant change in her functioning."

Experts stress that Nowak will need a complete clinical assessment before any diagnosis is reached.

But they speculated that the trigger could be accumulated stress in her life, such as her 19-year marriage ending in separation a few weeks ago. Others say she could have suffered a severe mental illness, or even a medical condition that altered her judgment. Continued...