Florida — A Florida woman has been arrested after her own grandchildren allegedly told police that she attacked their mother.
Celestine Ward, 57, was charged with attempted murder after being arrested by Homestead police on Wednesday.
According to an arrest report obtained by local ABC affiliate WPLG, officers responded to a call at a home on Wednesday afternoon and discovered the alleged victim — Ward’s daughter-in-law — lying on the floor in a pool of blood. The alleged victim, who has not been identified, was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition.
When police asked the children inside the house what had happened, Ward’s granddaughter reportedly stated, “Grandma started to kill mommy with the knife.”
Ward’s granddaughter also reportedly told police that prior to the alleged stabbing, her mother and father had an argument and the father left the house. Ward then allegedly began arguing with the girl’s mother, which escalated into a physical altercation.
According to Ward’s granddaughter, “Grandma began to kill mommy with the knife.” “The knife is in the room beneath the bed.”
According to the arrest affidavit, police interviewed the alleged victim at the hospital. She confirmed her daughter’s account of the argument they had at home, explaining that she and Ward had been drinking at Chili’s Bar & Grill earlier in the day.
The alleged victim told police that she remembered Ward charging at her and defending herself. Then Ward allegedly stabbed her several times.
Ward also provided a recorded statement, according to the police affidavit. Ward claimed that her daughter-in-law was the one who allegedly attacked her, punching her in the face. Ward showed no visible signs of injury, according to police.
WPLG reported that the children were taken into custody by the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Ward was arrested on Wednesday and is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
