‘Naked mother hacked toddler’s head with machete until child’s skull was visible’
A naked mother hacked at her three year-old daughter’s head with a machete until the youngster’s skull was visible, police say.
The unnamed woman is said to have rambled incoherently while attacking the child on Sunday night, with the girl believing her parent was just trying to give her a haircut.
A neighbor called Pauline who lives next to the woman in Philadelphia told WPVI: ‘All the girl kept saying was “My mommy tried to cut my hair” that’s what the little girl was saying.
‘I don’t think she thinks her mother would hurt her. They’re very close and it’s sad.’
Another onlooker said the mother, who has not been named, appeared to be drunk or high during the attack.
It left the little girl with at least six stab wounds to her head, shoulder and knee.
A neighbor who is a nurse managed to stabilize the child, who was taken to the nearby Einstein Medical Center in a critical condition.
She was later transferred to St Christopher’s Hospital for Children for specialist treatment.
Further updates on her condition have not been given.
Local residents say police had visited the home several days before and removed weapons including machetes after an unidentified family member assaulted someone.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said the woman may have been on drugs, and that his department was awaiting results of a toxicology test.
He said the mother had no prior arrest history.
Police have not yet announced whether the woman will face charges.