What to Know
- A 3-year-old girl is in critical but stable condition after she was slashed with a machete inside a Philadelphia home.
- The girl's mom, who neighbors said was incoherent and naked, was taken into custody.
- Witnesses said the girl was conscious and mentioned that her mother was giving her a "haircut."
A woman is in custody after she allegedly slashed her 3-year-old daughter with a machete in Philadelphia Sunday night, according to police.
Lauren Rodriguez, 34, is charged with attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault and other related offenses.
On Sunday around 8:20 p.m., Philadelphia police responded to the 5900 block of Mascher Street for a report of a person screaming. When they arrived they found a 3-year-old girl covered in blood and being consoled by several people.
Investigators later determined that Rodriguez, the girl's mother, struck her daughter several times with a machete. The girl suffered skull fractures as well as lacerations and bruises throughout her body, police said.
Neighbors said a friend of Rodriguez carried the girl out of the home. A nurse who lived nearby tried to help the girl as police arrived.
"She was covered with blood from the head down," a neighbor told NBC10. "You could see her skull. It was split open."
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The girl was conscious and said her mother was giving her a "haircut," according to witnesses.
Rodriguez was found at the top of the stairs of the home, incoherent and naked, witnesses said.
"She came out with her hands all cut up, asking if she could get a pair of shoes," a neighbor said. "She was very incoherent. She didn't know what was going on."
Rodriguez was arrested while her daughter was taken to the Einstein Medical Center. She is currently in stable condition.
