Whisper
September 1st, 2011, 09:09 PM
SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - September 1, 2011 (WPVI) -- The body bags of two small children were brought out of a South Philadelphia home late Wednesday night.
Police say the 27-year-old mother, Chanthy Mao, took a kitchen knife, walked into her children's bedroom, and stabbed her 12-year-old daughter and her 8-year-old son to death.
"It just goes to the heart and hurts to see that such tragedy has struck," South Philadelphia resident Clifton Silver said.
It was around 5:30 p.m. when officers were called to the 1700 block of South 18th Street. When they arrived, they found the two children with multiple stab wounds to their chests.
Chea Meas, a family friend, says Mao was a good mother to her kids.
"It's unbelievable, the mother seemed to be okay and killed her children, it's kind of strange," Meas said. Neighbors say Mao was covered in blood when paramedics took her out on a stretcher and took her to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
"They believe they she may have been under the influence of something based on the bizarre behavior she was displaying," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
Small says, at this point, investigators do not know what made Mao snap and commit such an unthinkable crime.
"It's a terrible thing for anyone to fully comprehend and understand," Small said. Action News has learned that Mao, who is from Cambodia, moved to Philadelphia with her children more than a year ago.
[...]
Neighbors say the stepfather of the children rushed to the scene and had an emotional breakdown in the middle of the street.
"It is mind-boggling. You see things like this on the news, but you don't ever to expect to see it in your neighborhood. It only goes to show you people are just sick everywhere," Happy Terry of South Philadelphia said.
The grandmother and other family members arrived to the scene after the stabbings. They were taken to police headquarters for questioning.http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/crime&id=8337520&hpt=ju_bn4
UPDATE
Mom charged with killing her 2 children
SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - September 1, 2011 (WPVI) -- Neighbors are reeling in a South Philadelphia neighborhood where police say a mother was charged with murdering her two children.
teddy bear was left on the doorstep by neighbor Mattalyn Davis.
"They were innocent kids and they were a lovely family, so I think it's best to just show respect, because it was innocent lives taken for no apparent reason," Davis said.
Only Action News was there overnight as 27-year-old Chanthy Mao was escorted by police from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where she was taken for evaluation.
It was shortly after 5:00 p.m. when officers were called to the home on the 1700 block of South 18th Street.
authorities arrived to find the bodies of an 8-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl in a first floor apartment bedroom
Police say both children were stabbed multiple times in their chests with a kitchen knife.
"I went to the scene, obviously it was a bad scene. Anytime you have children that are murdered, it's worse than your typical homicide, quite frankly. To have it happen at the hands of a parent makes it even more tragic," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said.
Responding officers say Mao's behavior was bizarre and erratic. Police explain Mao had been undergoing psychiatric treatment for several years.
"Family members thought she may have ingested pills. I don't know if that turned out to be true or not, but as a precaution we took her to the hospital," Ramsey said.
Action News has learned that Mao and her children had emigrated from Cambodia more than a year ago and had moved into the apartment with her parents.
Authorities did interview other family members who were apparently at home at the time of the murders.
"No one knew she was going to do something like this. They just heard the noise, the sound. My understanding is that by the time they got to her, it was already done," Ramsey said
[....]http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/crime&id=8339016
New Details Emerging
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/
http://i55.tinypic.com/2nners.jpg
Police say the 27-year-old mother, Chanthy Mao, took a kitchen knife, walked into her children's bedroom, and stabbed her 12-year-old daughter and her 8-year-old son to death.
"It just goes to the heart and hurts to see that such tragedy has struck," South Philadelphia resident Clifton Silver said.
It was around 5:30 p.m. when officers were called to the 1700 block of South 18th Street. When they arrived, they found the two children with multiple stab wounds to their chests.
Chea Meas, a family friend, says Mao was a good mother to her kids.
"It's unbelievable, the mother seemed to be okay and killed her children, it's kind of strange," Meas said. Neighbors say Mao was covered in blood when paramedics took her out on a stretcher and took her to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
"They believe they she may have been under the influence of something based on the bizarre behavior she was displaying," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
Small says, at this point, investigators do not know what made Mao snap and commit such an unthinkable crime.
"It's a terrible thing for anyone to fully comprehend and understand," Small said. Action News has learned that Mao, who is from Cambodia, moved to Philadelphia with her children more than a year ago.
[...]
Neighbors say the stepfather of the children rushed to the scene and had an emotional breakdown in the middle of the street.
"It is mind-boggling. You see things like this on the news, but you don't ever to expect to see it in your neighborhood. It only goes to show you people are just sick everywhere," Happy Terry of South Philadelphia said.
The grandmother and other family members arrived to the scene after the stabbings. They were taken to police headquarters for questioning.http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/crime&id=8337520&hpt=ju_bn4
UPDATE
Mom charged with killing her 2 children
SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - September 1, 2011 (WPVI) -- Neighbors are reeling in a South Philadelphia neighborhood where police say a mother was charged with murdering her two children.
teddy bear was left on the doorstep by neighbor Mattalyn Davis.
"They were innocent kids and they were a lovely family, so I think it's best to just show respect, because it was innocent lives taken for no apparent reason," Davis said.
Only Action News was there overnight as 27-year-old Chanthy Mao was escorted by police from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where she was taken for evaluation.
It was shortly after 5:00 p.m. when officers were called to the home on the 1700 block of South 18th Street.
authorities arrived to find the bodies of an 8-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl in a first floor apartment bedroom
Police say both children were stabbed multiple times in their chests with a kitchen knife.
"I went to the scene, obviously it was a bad scene. Anytime you have children that are murdered, it's worse than your typical homicide, quite frankly. To have it happen at the hands of a parent makes it even more tragic," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said.
Responding officers say Mao's behavior was bizarre and erratic. Police explain Mao had been undergoing psychiatric treatment for several years.
"Family members thought she may have ingested pills. I don't know if that turned out to be true or not, but as a precaution we took her to the hospital," Ramsey said.
Action News has learned that Mao and her children had emigrated from Cambodia more than a year ago and had moved into the apartment with her parents.
Authorities did interview other family members who were apparently at home at the time of the murders.
"No one knew she was going to do something like this. They just heard the noise, the sound. My understanding is that by the time they got to her, it was already done," Ramsey said
[....]http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/crime&id=8339016
New Details Emerging
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/
http://i55.tinypic.com/2nners.jpg