A Garden Grove woman stabbed her daughters, ages 3 and 5, with a kitchen knife at a relative's home in Westminster on Wednesday and then stabbed herself, police said.
The woman was holding one of her daughters in her arms and both were covered in blood when officers arrived at 14372 Starsia St. just after 6:30 a.m., according to the Westminster Police Department. The officers took the girl from her mother and detained her without incident, police said.
Other family members at the home directed the officers to a bedroom where the second girl was found, police said. She suffered an apparent stab wound to the chest, according to police.
Orange County Fire Authority paramedics treated the victims and rushed them to UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, Officer Van Woodson said.
Woodson said the 5-year-old girl was placed on life-support, but she underwent surgery and was expected to survive. She was placed in a medically induced coma.
"She did have a lot of blood loss, but it appears she will survive," Woodson said.
The 3-year-old girl suffered only superficial wounds and was also expected to recover, he said.
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The mother, Thuy Le, 38, was being guarded by police as physicians treated her for superficial stab and laceration wounds she suffered when she attempted suicide after she attacked the children, Woodson said.
Woodson said Le confessed to the attack, and she would be booked on suspicion of attempted murder when she is medically cleared.
According to the preliminary investigation, the woman took her daughters to a relative's home in, where she stabbed the girls and then herself, Woodson said.
"We're working it from three angles. Either it's a domestic violence case, there were marital problems or there are underlying mental health issues, or it's a mix of all three," Woodson said.
No one witnessed the stabbing, but the cousins awoke to the sounds of screaming and crying and called 911, Woodson said. Le's husband, who is the father of the two girls, was not staying with them at the house, but arrived shortly after police responded to the attacks, Woodson added.
"He was obviously and rightfully traumatized by what happened," Woodson said.
Woodson said he did not know why the husband was not with his family overnight.
The attack was reminiscent of an incident at a house in the 7800 block of Irvine Avenue in North Hollywood on Sept. 2, when Antonia Gomez, 37, allegedly slashed the throats of 11-year-old daughter, Edith, and 16-year-old daughter, Diana, killing both girls.
Police said the woman was later found with slash wounds to her wrists and upper body.
Antonia Gomez was in custody in lieu of $2 million.
