Mother slashes daughter's face and body with butcher knife, rubs salt into wounds

**Unamused Cat** · February 15th, 2009, 01:56 AM

Vietnam -- Six-year-old Nguyen Thi Mai at a hospital on Friday after her mother allegedly cut her face with a butcher knife four days earlier.

Police have detained a Mekong Delta mother for slashing her six-year-old daughter’s face and body with a butcher’s knife.

Investigators in Tien Giang Province’s Cai Lay District said Nguyen Thi Hanh, 38, had cut her daughter, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai, early Wednesday morning.

After slashing the child, Hanh rubbed salt in her wounds, police said. Police said they had not settled on a motive for the crime.

It was not until 11 a.m. Thursday that Hanh’s neighbors discovered Mai’s injuries and rushed her to a local health center. She has been under treatment at the Cai Lay District General Hospital ever since.

Neighbors had come to Mai’s aid after hearing her cry loudly and incessantly all night, they said. Neighbors also told the police they suspected that Hanh had been beating Mai every day.

Police said the mother had shown signs of mental illness at the police station. She had been sent for a mental examination at the Tien Giang Province Hospital for Mental Illnesses, investigators said.

http://www.thanhniennews.com/society...3&newsid=46125

**joo** · February 15th, 2009, 01:59 AM

Originally Posted by Unamused Cat

http://www.thanhniennews.com/society...3&newsid=46125

Holy shit. This sounds like a "I'll give you something to cry about" situation to me.

**chatdenuit** · February 15th, 2009, 02:08 AM

If the neighbors had suspected something, why didn't they call the police?!

**FlamingFox** · February 15th, 2009, 02:09 AM

Damn! I knew I should not of looked at this one. My first thought was that it was a fight between a teenager and her mother who slashed her then publicly humiliated her. Damn! Poor baby! What a sick bitch! WHY?

**Unamused Cat** · February 15th, 2009, 03:01 AM

That poor little girl. I would take her home with me. I still can't understand how people can be so cruel to their own.

**Jaded** · February 15th, 2009, 03:32 AM

Originally Posted by Unamused Cat

That poor little girl. I would take her home with me. I still can't understand how people can be so cruel to their own.

Me either UC. The look in a child's eyes...that look of complete trust and love. How the hell could someone so viciously destroy that?

**twinklestars** · February 15th, 2009, 03:49 AM

omg how unbelievable..The look in her eyes rips my heart out, I just want to hug and hold the poor baby :(

**Dakota Valkyrie** · February 15th, 2009, 07:44 AM

Originally Posted by chatdenuit

If the neighbors had suspected something, why didn't they call the police?!

This happened in Vietnam. I don't know for sure, but I suspect that they were afraid of the police also.

**malq** · February 15th, 2009, 09:00 AM

I am fairly ignorant of vietnamese culture but assume it is generally Asian. I am curious how mental illness and horrific crimes are viewed by the general population. I mean is this stuff swept under the rug? How mental does someone have to be to pull this off? and why didn't people get involved?
Sad

**SoUncool** · February 15th, 2009, 09:39 AM

For some reason, I'm getting the "exercising the demons out" feeling here. Anyone else thinking that mom thought the child was possessed? Poor little thing...just the pleading look on her face...I just want to snuggle her up. Sheez.

**DarkPrincess** · February 15th, 2009, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by SoUncool

For some reason, I'm getting the "exercising the demons out" feeling here. Anyone else thinking that mom thought the child was possessed? Poor little thing...just the pleading look on her face...I just want to snuggle her up. Sheez.

That seems like a real possibility here.

**Peeperann** · February 15th, 2009, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by SoUncool

For some reason, I'm getting the "exercising the demons out" feeling here. Anyone else thinking that mom thought the child was possessed? Poor little thing...just the pleading look on her face...I just want to snuggle her up. Sheez.

That's the first thing that popped into my head SU. Dear God. I too just want to bring her home and show her what real love is.

And Malq, i'm wondering the same thing about how they view mental illness......