The 22-year-old mother said just one sentence to her husband… moments later, the horrifying scene inside their home left everyone haunted
Kailey Erhart allegedly told officers to kill her (Image: Burleigh Morton Detention Center)
A North Dakota mother allegedly told the dad of their children to “say goodbye” before she slit the throats of their three children, authorities say.
Kailey Erhart, 22, has been accused of killing two of her children and trying to kill a third.
The violent incident unfolded on the evening of Thursday, August 6, at a residence on South Frontier Trail in Mandan — a small city situated approximately five miles northwest of Bismarck, North Dakota. In one video seized by police from the father’s cellphone, the defendant is allegedly captured holding one of the children with a pistol at her hip, saying, “Say goodbye to your kids.”
Officers responded to reports of a mother who had stabbed her own children, as detailed in an affidavit obtained by NBC affiliate KVLY. Upon entering the home, Erhart was allegedly holding a kitchen knife to her own throat and was drenched in blood.
Police rushed to the scene (Image: KFYR Tv)
Officers then followed a trail of blood through the home, leading them to a horrifying scene in a bedroom where three young children lay motionless on a bed.
All three children had sustained cutting, slashing, or stabbing wounds to their necks, officers reported.
During a press conference on Friday, Mandan Police Chief Jason Ziegler announced that a three-year-old and a five-month-old died as a result of the attack, while a one-year-old survived following surgery. “A scene like that is something that nobody should ever have to see in their lifetime,” Ziegler said.
She faces charges of two counts of murder, three counts of aggravated assault, and one count each of attempted murder, terrorizing, domestic violence resulting in bodily injury, and child abuse, as confirmed by the Mandan Police Department.
Kailey Erhart in jail (Image: KFYR Tv)
Moments before officers reached the residence, Erhart pursued the children’s father and grandmother from the property while wielding a knife.
Prior to that incident, the affidavit claims that she allegedly pointed a gun at the father and threatened to kill him.
The children’s father reported he was ultimately able to take the pistol from Erhart, take apart the weapon and hide the components around the residence.
Following those alleged threats, the father contacted 911. Ziegler said initial information provided by emergency dispatchers “was that the mother had locked herself inside the home with three children and was going to kill them”.
Erhart allegedly informed law enforcement officials she placed the children on the bed herself after cutting their throats, adding that she recalled holding the knife as police arrived but had limited memory of the rest of the night.
The scene of the horror killings (Image: KFYR Tv)
Authorities revealed that the couple was in the midst of obtaining a separation, and that the children’s father had concerns about Erhart previously expressing a desire to kill herself and their children. At the time of the tragic incident, Erhart was taking medication and had been approved by the state’s child welfare agency to be with her children following a recent stay at a mental health facility.
The child victims have not yet been publicly identified, and authorities have not disclosed a motive for the deaths of the two children.
SOURCE: DAILY EXPRESS
https://www.the-express.com/news/us-news/213645/mom-slits-her-3-kids-throats-after-giving-dad-horror-ultimatum
