Latest news with #GwendolynGirard
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Can't understand it': Mom attacks 12-year-old girl with knife, leaving her under bush, sheriff says
**Related Video Above: What happens when you call 911? PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WJW) — Detectives report a Florida woman confessed to stabbing her 12-year-old daughter in the face and neck, leaving her barely alive under some shrubs on Memorial Day. According to a news release from the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, 35-year-old Gwendolyn Girard, 35, was arrested on aggravated battery and child abuse charges following her alleged confession. Local man accused of brutally stabbing puppy pleads not guilty 'In my 33-year career, there are only a handful of times that I have been left speechless. This is one of those times. To attack a child with a knife… I can't understand it,' Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a statement. Multiple local outlets, including WINK, confirmed Girard was the girl's mother and that the girl played dead in order to survive the attack that took place at Cecil Webb Wildlife Management Area, according to court documents. Deputies said they were called to the recreational area by passersby who had found the girl with stab wounds and weak. They spoke to the girl who identified the attacker as Girard and said she drove off in a gold van. Girard and her vehicle were found in Lee County, where she was taken in for questioning and eventually arrested, the sheriff's office said. 'Reunited and it feels so good': Todd Chrisley's daughter picks him up from prison after Trump pardon The girl is reportedly in stable condition following treatment at a hospital. Girard appeared in court for the first time Thursday. Her bond was set at $750,000, according to the sheriff's office. 'It is only by God's grace that she is still with us today, and I pray for her as she heals from this horrific incident,' Prummell said of the girl. 'Unfortunately, the mental trauma inflicted on her may never heal.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fla. mom accused of attacking daughter with knife, ‘discarding' her under brush in nature preserve
Investigators in Southwest Florida are investigating a horrifying attack against a 12-year-old girl. Deputies said she was found alone in a nature preserve after her mother attacked her. Investigators in Charlotte County said Gwendolyn Girard drove her daughter to the Cecil Webb Wildlife Management Area and stabbed her multiple times. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Deputies said the girl was found bleeding and barely able to speak. 'The victim had been kind of, I hate to use the word, discarded. But that's kind of the best way to describe what it was. After the attack, she was left bloodied and under a pile of brush,' said Chris Hall with the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. Officials said the girl was taken to a hospital where she continues to recover from her injuries. Her mother is charged with aggravated battery and aggravated child abuse. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Miami Herald
27-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Woman stabs 12-year-old at nature preserve, leaves her under brush, FL cops say
A woman attacked a 12-year-old girl with a knife at a Florida nature preserve and tried to conceal her under some brush before fleeing, authorities said. Law enforcement obtained warrants for the arrest of 35-year-old Gwendolyn Girard on charges of aggravated battery and aggravated child abuse in the May 26 incident, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said. Girard and the girl knew each other, but deputies could not provide further detail on their relationship due to the ongoing investigation. The afternoon of Memorial Day, passersby at the Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area found a girl with cuts on her face and neck, deputies said in a news release. First responders said when they arrived, they found her 'weak and in need of immediate medical attention.' The 12-year-old told investigators that Girard stabbed her and tried to 'hide her body' in the brush, although she was still alive, then Girard fled in a van, according to deputies. The Lee County Sheriff's Office found Girard and the van in North Fort Myers, and during questioning, Girard told deputies what happened and where the knife was, according to investigators. 'To attack a child with a knife … I can't understand it,' Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummel said. 'It is only by God's grace that she is still with us today, and I pray for her as she heals from this horrific incident. Unfortunately, the mental trauma inflicted on her may never heal.' Girard was booked in Lee County jail. The wildlife management area is in southwest Florida, about a 15-mile drive northwest from Fort Myers.
