(JTA) — A Tel Aviv-area man is suspected of stabbing his 10-month-old daughter to death and seriously injuring her older sister and their mother before trying to kill himself.
The incident is one of Israel’s worst cases of domestic violence in recent years.
Police arrested the suspect, who was not named but is said to be 33 years old, on Friday morning, Israel Hayom reported.
Paramedics who arrived at the couple’s apartment in the Hod Hasharon suburb found their baby daughter’s bloodied and lifeless body in the nursery. The older sister was conscious in the living room and suffering massive stab wounds and a life-threatening hemorrhaging that paramedics succeeded in stopping. Her condition is stable.
The mother, 36, was stabbed in the neck. Paramedics found her lying in the family’s backyard. She is in critical condition.
The suspect was in the apartment when police and a medical team arrived. He had minor self-induced stab wounds on his neck, according to the report.
The family lived in a housing complex next to other relatives. Neighbors reported hearing screams, but the relatives did not let them enter the couple’s apartment. The relatives are believed to have called the authorities early Friday morning.
Authorities had no record for the family of domestic violence or with welfare services. One neighbor described them as “a normative young family.” Another said he was not aware of any unusual marital tensions in the household.
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