Sydnie Jefferson Charged With Stabbing Her 2 Kids In Pittsburgh's Crawford-Roberts Neighborhood
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Two children are in critical condition after they were stabbed in Pittsburgh's Crawford-Roberts neighborhood, and their mother is facing charges.
WATCH: Bryant Reed reports
Police have arrested Sydnie Jefferson, 29, in connection to the stabbing. She is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of criminal attempted homicide, two counts of endangering the welfare of children and two counts of recklessly endangering another person.
Just before 7 a.m. Friday, police said a man arrived at the Pittsburgh police Zone 2 station with his 3-year-old son who had been stabbed. EMS took the child to the hospital.
Police said the father and officers returned to a home in the 200 block of Dinwiddie Street where his other son, 7 years old, was also stabbed.
Both children were taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition, according to the authorities. According to the criminal complaint, Jefferson confessed to stabbing her two children in the neck.
Police said two other children were in the home, but they were not injured. They were taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
"The actions of the father probably saved the child's life in bringing him to the station as opposed to waiting to call somebody to respond," said Major Crimes Commander Richard Ford.
Neighbors said they heard arguing Friday morning before screams for help rang through the neighborhood. Neighbors said the home is notorious for loud arguments being overheard and police said it wasn't the first time they've had to go to that home.
"My family is hurt, my family is confused, my family is sad," said Chrissy Griffin, the father's sister.
Griffin questioned what would come upon somebody to do such a thing to children.
WATCH: Bryant Reed reports
"I don't know what it would take, a person to wake up at 6 in the morning and just start stabbing kids," she said.
Attorney Blaine Jones confirmed to KDKA on Friday that he is representing the mother of the boys who are in the hospital.
"A lot of the cases that I deal with, there's a mental health component, specifically with respect to this case," Jones said. "As I mentioned, we'll get the necessary evaluations. I don't want to put the cart before the horse because I don't know what the evaluations will necessarily yield. Once we get those evaluations, we'll make a deliberate decision in terms of what we need to do next once we get the evaluations"
Police say that when Jefferson left the house, she made several calls to family members saying, "My boys are gone." She later called the police and turned herself in.
"I can tell you that Sydnie has the support of her family and that's why I'm here," Jones said.
Police said they found a knife on the second floor of the home and blood on the dress Jefferson was wearing. The authorities have not released a motive or reason behind the stabbing.
The attack was another case in a week of crime. Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert issued a statement on the increase of violence, saying he was "profoundly troubled" by three deadly shootings within five days, and now a stabbing that critically injured two boys.
Schubert's statement said in part:
"While the number of violent crimes has been rising around the United States since 2020 and the onset of the pandemic, this is an oversimplified explanation. This is unacceptable in Pittsburgh. This is not reflective of the city we know and love. People are clearly hurting.
"As the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, we strive daily to work with all of our communities to build a safer, more equitable city for everyone. Our officers will investigate all crimes, but we are also there to help, listen, and connect people with valuable social services before a crisis occurs. We urge citizens to utilize Pittsburgh Police as a resource. We are here to help.
"We need to do this together. We need to look out for one another and take care of one another. Only then will we begin to heal the deep trauma that is at the root of violence."
