In early 1957, a family tragedy struck for a third time when one of her nieces she had cared for since the 1940s died at the age of 31, leaving her 5-year-old son, Roger Christie, an orphan. Carson took on the responsibility for Roger when she adopted him, along with caring for her aging mother. Carson moved to Silver Spring, Maryland to care for Roger, and spent much of 1957 putting together a new living situation and studying specific environmental threats.