A New Jersey father is under great stress as his four-year-old daughter lies in a hospital after a brutal stabbing in her own home that authorities think my have been committed by the girl’s own aunt.
The girl is named Amber, and her father is Faherem LaShan. Speaking to reporters outside the hospital where his daughter is being treated, LaShan said that although his daughter couldn’t speak, she did make eye contact with him when he visited. The girl is hooked up to several medical machines and wasn’t able to speak, he said, but that he experienced “joy” to know that she was conscious and appeared to know who he wwas.
The incident took place Friday, August 23. Police were called to the home in Paterson, New Jersey, for an alleged domestic dispute. When they got there they found Amber with a number of knife wounds, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office. Though police did not say who she suspected, Luis Velez, who sits on the city council, said investigators are looking for the girl’s aunt.
Other family members said the child’s aunt, whom they did not identify, was babysitting Amber while her mother (also not identified) was also there but caring for another child. The details are vague.
One neighbor, Keema James, said Amber’s mother came out of the house cradling Amber and both of them had blood all over their bodies. “She had a big gash on her forehead,” James said of the four-year-old.
Father LaShan said he was “dumbfounded” to get news of his daughter’s life-threatening injuries and rushed to be with her at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center. Amber is listed as being in stable condition. She suffered a puncture wound to her lungs and liver, and her diaphragm was also hit.
So far, neither police nor witnesses have offered any motive for the stabbing. Paterson police are asking anyone who has information about the assault to contact them.
