Councilman: Baby-Snatching May Have Been Behind Deadly Bronx Stabbing
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A woman is dead after being stabbed multiple times in the Bronx Friday afternoon, and questions were mounting hours later about a newborn baby who was found alive at the scene.
As CBS2's Dave Carlin reported, the attack happened around 2:30 p.m. on the first floor of a house at 4450 Monticello Ave., at East 241st Street, in the Wakefield section of the Bronx.
Police said the 22-year-old victim was taken to Montefiore Medical Center in cardiac arrest, where she was pronounced dead, 1010 WINS reported.
A suspect, also 22 years old, is in custody and police said charges are pending, CBS2's Sonia Rincon reported.
"It appears the two ladies knew each other," said Bronx City Councilman Andy King (D-12th).
Police sources said a newborn baby was found in the home. It was unclear whom the baby belonged to.
Police said the baby was born right after the stabbing, but it was not clear whether the victim or the alleged assailant was the mother.
Due to severe trauma to the dead woman's body, police could not determine whether she was pregnant and were awaiting results from the New York City Medical Examiner's office, sources told CBS2.
The suspect refused to be examined by police, and claimed she was the mother of the baby, sources said. Police were awaiting a search warrant to examine the suspect's body and determine if she had the baby, sources said.
Police believe the dead woman was the mother, but must wait for the search warrant and the Medical Examiner's results to confirm, sources said.
The baby was described by doctors as healthy.
Councilman King said investigators told him they are looking into one theory in particular. He said the motive could be baby-snatching.
"That's what is being talked about early on -- that it was a baby-snatch – trying to," he said
Neighbors were stunned by such violence on this quiet residential street.
"I seen when they were wheeling her out and they had the blanket over her," said neighbor Diana Rivera. "And when they wheeled her inside the ambulance, that's when he started giving her CPR."
Neighbors said they didn't know anything had happened until they heard sirens from police.
"We was out here for a while before the ambulance took the lady out of the home, and then they had another lady handcuffed, and then afterwards, they put her in an ambulance and they went off," said neighbor Vivette Williams.
So far, police have not identified the victim or the suspect.