4 children fatally stabbed in Memphis; mother in custody

A woman in Memphis was arrested Friday after her four children were fatally stabbed, officials said.

We are told all of the children are under the age of six and were deceased when deputies arrived.

A call about the stabbings came through on 911 at around 1 p.m. Friday.

The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office is sending its Special Victim’s Unit to the scene, Oldham said.

“It is certainly something we see across the country and there have been multiple deaths here, but I can’t recall one involving young children at this young age”, Oldham said.

Oldham said they are working to notify the next of kin and won’t release names before that.

He said the investigation will determine who saw what and who was at the apartment complex when it all happened. The Department of Children Services said it has no previous history with the family, the station reported.

Neighbor Patricia Johnson spoke with reporters from her vehicle as she drove out of the neighborhood Friday afternoon.

Three other children were stabbed but survived, including a 2-month-old girl and 9-year-old boy, who was found in a bathtub with a 4 1/2-inch knife blade embedded in his skull.