Mother Identified In Baby Stabbing Case At Social Services Building
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—There are new details in the bizarre attack on a baby girl by her own mother.
Derek Valcourt has more on what happened inside that Social Services office.
Police documents paint a gruesome scene as the baby's mother attacked with a large kitchen knife, and it tells of the heroic efforts by one of the Department of Social Services workers to stop it.
Kenisha Thomas, 29, did not have custody of her daughter, Pretty Diamond. And during a supervised visit at the Social Services office Tuesday morning, Thomas complained about her daughter's care and felt like she could do a better job.
As the Social Services worker told Thomas the visit was almost over, Thomas replied "It is about to be over." She then pulled a kitchen knife from her handbag and police say she did the unthinkable.
"She stabbed her infant daughter multiple times in the face area and the neck, and we really don't know why," said Anthony Guglielmi, police spokesman.
The social worker left the room screaming in terror.
Witnesses heard Thomas say, "I'm going to kill her."
A male Social Services worker rushed in and began throwing chairs at Thomas to stop her and eventually wrestled her to the ground.
Witnesses told police they heard Thomas saying, "Lock me up. If I can't have her, no one will." And later "I hope my baby is dead."
Other co-workers grabbed the baby lying on the floor with a knife stuck in her neck and rushed her for medical attention.
Miraculously, she is expected to survive. Meantime, Social Services officials promise a full investigation to examine how Thomas was able to get the knife past their security and metal detectors.
Union representatives for the workers say the incident is a prime example of a security breakdown.
"There are concerns about some of the clients that come in distraught and upset, and there needs to be some remedy to that. There needs to be stricter security, and they need to stop using third party security firms that aren't doing the job," a representative said.
Thomas faces a slew of criminal charges, including attempted murder. She's being held at Central Booking.
Police say they tried to question Thomas, but she refused to speak and asked for an attorney.
The baby is in stable condition at Johns Hopkins.
