A Bronx grandmother stabbed her 7-year-old granddaughter. Maritza Yauger, 65, has been accused of repeatedly stabbing her granddaughter, a heinous crime that shocked her community.
The grandmother had always been seen as a doting figure to her granddaughter, and it was hard for those who knew her to comprehend how she could commit such a brutal attack.
The attack occurred in a Clinton Avenue apartment in the Morrisania section of New York City on Tuesday morning.
According to ABC7, at the time of the stabbing, the young girl was in the company of her 4-year-old sister, paternal uncle, and paternal grandmother.
The 4-year-old girl was the only witness to the attack and was reported to have been traumatized by the incident.
Bronx grandmother stabs 7-Year-Old granddaughter
On a Tuesday morning, at approximately 8:14 A.M. in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City, the girl's uncle had called 911 to report the stabbing, which he had just discovered after waking up.
The police responded within five minutes and found the girl lying lifeless on the bed, covered in blood.
The police officers immediately rushed the girl to their cruiser and drove her to Lincoln Hospital, with the uncle running behind to try and rescue her.
According to the New York Times, the victim was later joined at the hospital by her parents and 4-year-old sister, who live in New Jersey. The detectives stated no prior history with the family from the Administration for Children's Services (ACS).
The doctors at the hospital examined the girl and reported that she had been stabbed over a dozen times, resulting in a mid- to lower-neck tracheal laceration and a laceration to the left torso that perforated her lung.
An ultrasound also revealed internal bleeding near her heart, and she had lost approximately one-third of her total blood volume with a possible punctured kidney.
The girl was given a blood transfusion and immediately taken to surgery. As of the latest update, she is now stabilized.
Meanwhile, the grandmother of the victim, 65-year-old Mariza Yauger, was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital.
She was later arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, attempted manslaughter, assault, and attempted murder.
The Bronx community is in shock
The community was shocked by the incident that had taken place. It was hard for most neighbors to believe that the grandmother had committed such a heinous act, especially since she had always shown love and affection towards her granddaughter.
According to the New York Post, Eva Devers, a close friend of Mariza Yauger, expressed her disbelief and stated that Yauger loved her 7-year-old granddaughter.
Maria Castillo, a local hairdresser, shared her experiences with Yauger, stating that she would periodically bring her granddaughter to the salon to get pampered, paying for her hair and nails to be done.
Castillo further added that Maritza Yauger adored her granddaughter, and she recalled Yauger once asking her why she gave her granddaughter everything.
Yauger revealed that she loved her granddaughter dearly, especially since she only had two sons and never a daughter. Castillo remembered Yauger saying that she would continue to give her granddaughter everything.
However, they also noticed a change in Yauger's behavior after her mother's death about a year ago, making her more withdrawn and introverted.
Detectives investigating the incident revealed that the grandmother had a history of mental health issues. It is unclear whether this had any role in the stabbing incident.
