VIDEO: Two Children Dead, One Critical In Palm Bay Stabbing

By  //  March 21, 2015

VICTIMS MOTHER BEING DETAINED BY POLICE

ABOVE VIDEO: Yvonne Martinez, Palm Bay Public Information Coordinator, talks with SpaceCoastDaily.com’s Zach Clark about Friday evening’s multiple stabbing homicide in which an 7-year-old girl and her 6-year old brother was killed, and a 5-month old male siblings was critically injured.

Police Identified Dead Children As Laci McCarty, 7, Philip McCarty, 6, and the Critically Injured 5-Month-Old As Christopher Swist

BREVARD COUNTY • PALM BAY, FLORIDA – Detectives with the Palm Bay Police Major Case Unit are investigating a multiple stabbing homicide in which an 7-year-old girl and her 6-year old brother was killed, and a 5-months old male siblings was critically injured.

Police identified the dead children as Laci McCarty, 7, Philip McCarty, 6, and the critically injured 5-month-old as Christopher Swist.

Philip McCarty was pronounced deceased at 11:22 p.m. at Wuesthoff hospital.  The child went into cardiac arrest while en route to Orlando, and paramedics diverted to Wuesthoff.

The mother of the children, identified by police as Jessica McCarty, 33, is in the hospital being treated for non-life threatening injuries and Detectives are waiting to interview her.

According to Yvonne Martinez, Palm Bay Public Information Coordinator, McCarty is being detained.

The incident began at 5:57 p.m. on Friday evening when emergency dispatchers received a 9-1-1 call from a home in the 1100 block of Kenmore Street NW.

Jessica McCarty, 33, the mother of the dead and injured children, is in the hospital being treated for non-life threatening injuries and is being detained by police. (Mugshots.com image)
Jessica McCarty, 33, the mother of the dead and injured children, is in the hospital being treated for non-life threatening injuries and is being detained by police. (Mugshots.com image)

The information received indicated that multiple children may have been injured or killed inside the home.

According to Palm Bay Police Chief  Mark Renkens, when patrol officers arrived on the scene, McCarty was armed with a butcher knife and uncooperative.

Officers then found the three children unresponsive with serious injuries. McCarty, who also had visible injuries, was taken into custody and is being treated at the hospital.

Mark Renkens
Mark Renkens

An unidentified man, later determined to be the father of one of the children, arrived at the home immediately after the first 9-1-1 call.

According to police, he called 9-1-1 after finding the children unresponsive.

The two surviving children were taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando for further treatment.

“A crime like this is beyond words,” said Commander John Resh.“It is unthinkable that someone could do this to innocent children.”

Detectives are in the process of conducting interviews and documenting the crime scene.

The investigation is ongoing.

ABOVE VIDEO: Neighbors talk with SpaceCoastDaily.com’s Zach Clark about Friday evening’s multiple stabbing homicide in which an 7-year-old girl and her 6-year old brother was killed, and a 5-month old male siblings was critically injured.

STAY TUNED TO SPACECOASTDAILY.COM FOR UPDATES

[gmarker marker_latitude=”” marker_longitud=”” marker_label=””][/gmarker]

ABOVE MAP: Detectives with the Palm Bay Police Major Case Unit are investigating a multiple stabbing homicide in which an 7-year-old girl and her 6-year old brother was killed, and a 5-months old male siblings was critically injured.