Chanthy Mao's mugshot.
Published: Sept. 1, 2011
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A woman who allegedly stabbed her two children to death was released from a Philadelphia hospital Thursday and turned over to police, authorities said.
Police took Chanthy Mao, 27, identified as a recent immigrant from Cambodia, into custody after she underwent a psychiatric evaluation at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Police responding to a call of a disturbance Wednesday evening found Mao's 8-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter with multiple stab wounds in the family's apartment.
Both children were pronounced dead at the scene, the Philadelphia Daily News reported.
Police said Mao admitted to stabbing the children and was "acting irrationally."
A neighbor said the family moved to South Philadelphia from Cambodia about a year and a half ago to join the children's grandfather, who obtained political asylum in the United States five years ago.
"It's very shocking and surprising," said neighbor Chea Meas, a social worker. "It seemed the mother was perfect and very nice. I don't know what would lead her to kill her children."
Mao was awaiting an initial court hearing on murder charges, authorities said.
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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.
A 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.
Police say the family has no history with the Department of Human Services.
6 comments:
This is sad story for the children and the family. the family loose both ways, the grandchildren and their daughter who will face murder charges. very sad in cambodian community.
Khmers believe America is heaven until they come to America. This kind of thing would not happen if she still living in Cambodia. She would not experience so much stress that causes her to become so unbearable. Westerner culture and environment are like fig fruit. It looks good from the outside, but inside is full of disease.
Murders happened everywhere in Cambodia, sometimes mother killed their children, sometimes their father killed whole family, brothers killed brothers and so on. Just read Koh Santepheap then you will see everything. I just don't know why she killed, maybe because of mental illness.
Hold it!!!!
She emigrated to USA just over a year and half. Police Dept said Mao has been having psychiatric treatment for several years. It meant that PD knew she had mental illness treatment before she came to America. So she has a history. Something doesn't fit here...
So she has had psychiatric history and any treatment... The family know better but when they said they don't know then they don't pay attention...If they said they don't expect her to have homocide/suicide ideation or attempt, then it is understandable. it is hard to prevent it but read hisotry, signs and clues may be helpful
This is quite sad, indeed. I can't ever imagine it. It's strange how a mother would kill her children like that. Don't you think there's more information needed to be found? Maybe like another problem perhaps?
Hmmm. I don't get it why would she stab her children like that? Did something happen? What was the reason that caused her to do this? Was there something wrong with her?
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