Update: Young Bed-Stuy Girl Fatally Stabbed, Mother in Custody

(tonyz20 / shutterstock)

Police are investigating the death of a young girl, apparently stabbed in the head with strangulation marks around her neck, in Bed-Stuy this morning. The three-year-old toddler was attacked, apparently by her mother, inside a Putnam Avenue apartment a little after 4 a.m. this morning.

Police were called to girl's apartment building responding to a report that someone was jumping from the building. Instead "when we get to the roof, officers go to the location, and no one is there," Police spokesman Paul J. Browne said today. "They follow a blood trail to an apartment on the fourth floor of that building."

Inside the apartment police found 29-year-old Nrandi Nwegbo, described as emotionally disturbed, "covered in blood, and holding the girl in her arms." According to an official, "She was incoherent, and babbling. The apartment was in shambles."

The little girl, Cathryn Nwegbo, had wounds to her neck and face and appeared to have "evidence of strangulation." She was quickly rushed to Woodhull Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. So far the mother is in custody but has not yet been charged, but one source tells the Times, "we’re almost positive she’s the reason the child is dead."

Neighbors were understandably shaken by the news today, especially reports that Nwegbo thought "demons had gotten [the toddler] and God wasn't there to help."

"God help her ya know. I leave it in God's hands. Let it be whatever God wanted it to be," one neighbor told NY1. "And mothers out there who have kids please don't let nothing like this happen to your kids. Don't do this to your child. Get help."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Garth Johnston in News on January 6, 2012 2:00 PM

Comments [rss]

Gadea

In Africa, on a routine basis, children, even very young children, who are suspected of
being witches or being possessed by demons, are tortured and murdered.
Albinos, have it worse, because they are hunted down for their body parts.
Albino body parts are thought to have magical powers and African businessmen pay
witchdoctors to perform ceremonies with Albino body parts so that their business can prosper.

They wouldn't send this mother to a psych ward, in African countries,
rather they would say she did the right thing.
Aljazeera, BBC has documentaries, recent documentaries on this all the time.

Gadea

Child Witches - Nigeria

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Gadea

African Albinos Routinely Murdered For Their Body Parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Gadea

Witch Doctors, Child Witches in Africa are routinely killed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

jisnotused

If I happen to be there when they were reporting / interviewing, I'd be like "god god.. god god god... and if god god god god god, then god god god god god. God god."

whitecastlerock

Poor kid RIP. FYI–The updated Daily News link publishes the mother's name...

evbo

Yeah, but ... too, the woman's obviously deranged. Sounds like a combination of lack of education, religious craziness & mental craziness. In this case, it was a deadly combination.

RIP, little one.

splicernyc

Sick demented people live in this world.

whodiditandran

Why does evil in people manifest itself in such horrific ways? You don't stab your baby when demons get it, you bring it to a church. Sounds like a demon got her long before it got her poor child.

Jamie_McDonald

Or, you know, you piece together the fact that demons aren't real. One of those two.

knayte

Toddler stabbed in head...

swampyankeesmom

W.W.J.D.?

brooklynRick

Procreation before education....you get this

brooklynRick

Ok, all high and mighty. I guess you don't remember the west african woman who burned her child because she was possessed. This shit happens often and unfortunately it happens in one segment of society. Thats not racist it is a result of poor education, the color of their skin does not make a difference but the cultural causes are almost unique to -west african/hatian- people. Whites used to have exorcisms but this is extremely rare now.

Also, mentally ill and fervent religious are not that different, one is a clinical term and the other is Jesus.

Gadea

Unfortunately, child killing, because the child is suspected of
being possessed by demons or being a child witch is far too
common place in places like South Africa, Nigeria, etc.
Just Google it and check out BBC & Aljazeera documentaries
on the subject.
It is terrible, horrible, that this took place in Brooklyn, NY
and nobody was able to save the little girl.

splicernyc

That's really beyond the pale.

the_uptowner

I really don't think education would've helped this woman, who is most likely mentally ill. But thanks for throwing that useless bromide out there. It sounds like you're advocating eugenics...congratulations.

FU Boy

She was 26 when she had that child. That's enough for a master's degree.

So shut the fuck up, a three year old just died from multiple stab wounds to the face and neck, asshole.