Pa. Dad Discovers 5-Year-Old Son Stabbed to Death in Bathtub, and Mother Is Charged
Philadelphia Police
A Pennsylvania mother is accused of fatally stabbing her 5-year-old son before trying to kill herself.
Jennifer Joseph has been charged with murder in the death of her son Devon, NBC and Fox29 report. According to police, Devon's father came home Monday night to find his son lying facedown in the bathtub at the family's West Philadelphia home. He had been stabbed in the neck.
“He was able to take the son out of the tub before police arrived and when medics arrived the boy was unresponsive,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said, CBS reports.
Jennifer Joseph was found in a bedroom bleeding from self-inflicted lacerations to her wrist.
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Devon was taken to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 11 p.m, while Jennifer Joseph was brought to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in stable condition.
In addition to murder, Joseph also faces charges of child endangerment. Attorney information was not available Friday.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
