A teenage mother in Ohio stabbed her one-year-old baby to death before calling 911 to seek help, police say.
Lachelle Martina Marie Anderson, 17, was arrested and charged with one count of murder on Sunday in Columbus, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Authorities say Anderson called 911 asking for help because her baby, Lalanna Sharpe, needed medical attention.
When police officers arrived at the home located on the south side of the city, they found that the one-year-old had been stabbed several times.
She was rushed to nearby Nationwide Children’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 1.28am – roughly 50 minutes after the 911 call was placed.
Lachelle Martina Marie Anderson (above), 17, is accused of stabbing her one-year-old daughter, Lalanna Sharpe (pictured left), to death early Sunday morning in Columbus, Ohio. She has been arrested and charged with murder
Authorities say Anderson called 911 asking for help because her baby (above) needed medical attention. When police officers arrived at the home, they found that the one-year-old had been stabbed several times
Authorities then questioned her 17-year-old mother about what happened.
Sgt. Jeff Strayer said: ‘Through the process of investigation, we felt comfortable enough to charge her with murder.’
He added that there was at least one other person inside the two-story home at the time of the tragic incident.
Columbus police spokeswoman Denise Alex-Bouzounis said that an autopsy was planned for Sunday.
‘Any homicide is a tragedy, but for a baby to have her life brutally taken is devastating for her family, the community and our officers (both) on the scene and investigating this case,’ Alex-Bouzounis said in a press release.
She was rushed to nearby Nationwide Children’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 1.28am – roughly 50 minutes after the 911 call was placed. Shortly after, the teen was arrested and charged with the crime
Police say there was at least one other person inside the two-story home (file above) at the time of the tragic incident
A man claiming to be the victim’s uncle wrote a heartbreaking Facebook tribute to the baby.
‘My heart hurts so much the pain is so unthinkable it eats me up everytime (sic) I think about it why my baby why she was nothing but smiles and joy I love u so much niecey (sic) uncle loves you with all his heart s*** just so unreal and thank you everyone for the prayers and talks they were well needed today,’ the post reads.
Neighbor Ben Price said that this situation has been very difficult on the family and it’s believed the teen mother suffered from some form of postpartum depression.
‘She’s really a good kid,’ Price told the Dispatch. ‘These are good, God-fearing people.’
Authorities did not provide a motive for the incident. Police are still investigating.