A Florida couple is dead after a man stabbed his wife and then himself on Monday night during an argument over how to discipline their 5-year-old child.
via People:
According to CBS-12, deputies in Deltona, Fla., responded to a call on Monday evening just after 6 p.m. When officers arrived at the couple’s home, they were met by a neighbor.
The a neighbor told deputies that a 10-year-old boy had run to their house for help saying his stepfather, 31 year-old Oscar Mercado Salazar, had stabbed his mother, 26-year-old Byanca Cruz Tovar.
The neighbor said he had entered the home and found Salazar and Tovar on the floor, covered in blood. There were two younger children unharmed at the scene. The neighbor then called 911.
Tovar was pronounced dead at the scene. Salazar stabbed himself in the neck and was rushed to the hospital with a faint pulse. He was later pronounced dead from his injuries.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood tells WFTV-TV that the argument began when the couple disagreed about disciplining their child. The argument escalated and turned deadly.
Chitwood expressed concern about the child who witnessed the attack.
“For the 10-year-old to have witnessed that, I can’t imagine what the rest of their lives are going to be like,” he told the station.
The Daytona Beach News Journal reports that the 10-year-old was Tovar’s son from a previous marriage. He is now with his father. The other two children are with Tovar’s parents.
All of those kids are going to need therapy.
