A 7-year-old girl in Chicago met a tragic death after being stabbed multiple times in the back while walking down a city street
According to the New York Post, the incident occurred yesterday, Saturday, shortly before noon, on Cottage Grove Avenue in the Chatham neighborhood. According to the Chicago Police Department, the child was walking on the sidewalk when an adult woman approached her. The woman pulled out the knife and, according to the police report, stabbed the girl “multiple times in the back.”
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A video circulating online shows the moment the woman walks calmly along the sidewalk, just minutes after the attack, believing she would get away scot-free.
Woman with a prior violent criminal record arrested after stabbing a 7-year-old girl to death.
A 7-year-old girl was walking with her older sister on Chicago’s South Side today when a random 48-year-old woman approached her and stabbed her multiple times, killing her.
AdvertisementThe woman is in custody after bystanders initially detained her.
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Bystanders subdued the woman
Eyewitnesses who saw the attack immediately rushed to help the child and managed to subdue the alleged assailant until the police arrived.
I was walking down the street at the time and saw the woman who stabbed the girl walk right past me. Suddenly, I heard a passerby shout, ‘Catch her—she did it; she stabbed her,’ said one of the bystanders who subdued the suspect in the attack on the 7-year-old.
Emergency services were immediately called to the scene, while the 7-year-old was transported to a children’s hospital.
7-Year-Old Girl Stabbed to Death on Cottage Grove; Bystanders Detain 18-Year-Old Female Offender Reported to Be on Drugs or Looking for Drugs on Chicago’s South Side Saturday Morning
https://t.co/MPWurl8WVM® Crime Report
AdvertisementCHICAGO (Oct. 3, 2026) A 7-year-old girl was stabbed multiple times and killed Saturday morning while walking along Cottage Grove Avenue, where witnesses detained the adult female suspect until police took her into custody, according to Chicago police.
The homicide occurred at approximately 11:55 a.m. in the 8600 block of S. Cottage Grove Ave. in the 6th District.
Police said the girl was walking southbound on the sidewalk when an adult woman approached her, brandished a sharp object, and stabbed her multiple times in the back.
AdvertisementThe child was transported to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Bystanders Detain Female Suspect
Bystanders who witnessed the stabbing intervened and detained the woman, according to the Chicago Police Department (CPD).
AdvertisementPolice said the alleged suspect was injured while bystanders were detaining her. She was later taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and remains in police custody.
In its 2:30 p.m. public homicide report, the CPD did not identify the woman, announce charges, or disclose a possible motive.
Detectives from Area Two are investigating.
Initial Radio Reports Indicated a Child Was Stabbed in the Head
The official homicide report clarified information that was rapidly developing over police and fire department radio immediately after the attack.
Initial radio reports indicated that officers found the child bleeding from a head wound. An officer reported holding a towel against the wound while emergency medical personnel responded.
An officer emphasized the urgency of getting the child transported:
“This is a kid. They don’t—they don’t have to wait for an ambulance. They can both jump if they need to.”
The girl was initially reported to be 7 years old and in critical condition.
Officers requested additional units due to the large crowd gathering around the scene and worked to clear a path for the ambulance carrying the child.
The CPD’s subsequent homicide report established that the girl had been stabbed multiple times in the back and was pronounced dead at Comer Children’s Hospital.
Scene Stretched Along Cottage Grove
Initial reports from citizens and radio communications placed the emergency near E 87th St and S Cottage Grove Ave before the address was updated to 8637 S Cottage Grove Ave.
Police also identified 8605 S Cottage Grove Ave as another location connected to the investigation.
The official CPD homicide report lists the location more broadly as the 8600 block of S Cottage Grove Ave.An independent reporter covering the scene separately placed the attack at 86th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. During his livestream, he described the location as approximately 8637 or 8640 S Cottage Grove.
The reporter repeatedly referenced a nearby business, but the name is unclear in the recording and was transcribed in several different ways, including “Sony’s Caring Hands,” “Sonya Hair Care,” and “Karen Hands.” He nevertheless consistently identified the scene as being in the same immediate section of Cottage Grove.
Witnesses Gave Conflicting Accounts Before CPD Statement
People at the scene provided several different versions of what had happened before the Chicago Police Department (CPD) released its official account of the homicide.
The reporter on the scene acknowledged the confusion himself, saying there were “like four different stories going on.”
One account circulating among people at the scene alleged that the woman involved was the 7-year-old’s mother and that she had stabbed the child.
The reporter relayed that allegation but repeatedly qualified it, saying the child had been stabbed in the head “allegedly, apparently by the mother.” He also relayed a claim that the woman may have been experiencing mental health issues.
Later in the livestream, the reporter again stated that people at the scene were identifying the woman as the child’s mother, while continuing to describe the information as alleged.
The CPD’s official homicide report does not identify the suspect as the girl’s mother and does not mention mental illness.
Drugs Mentioned in Eyewitness Accounts
Drug use was also mentioned by people speaking near the scene.
One person was heard saying, “They said she was on drugs,” while another part of the conversation referred to “a woman wanting drugs.”
A person at the scene also described someone allegedly involved as a local drug user, using the term “crackhead.”
These remain unverified street accounts. CPD has not publicly reported that drugs or intoxication played a role in the homicide, and the available information does not independently establish the identity, drug use, or role of the person being described.
Conflicting Account Involving Another Man
Another account circulating at the scene suggested that a man became involved in the confrontation.
The reporter said he was hearing that another man may have stabbed both the woman and the child during the altercation, but he stressed that these were stories he was hearing from people at the scene rather than established facts.
Later, he relayed another version in which a man allegedly tried to help during the altercation and may have stabbed both of them, adding that the circumstances would have to be determined.
The official CPD account provides a clearer sequence of events: an adult female suspect approached the 7-year-old and stabbed her, and bystanders who witnessed the attack detained the woman.
CPD said the suspect was injured while being detained but did not specify who injured her or how.
Man With Dreadlocks Described Over Police Radio
Preliminary police radio communications included information regarding a man described as approximately 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall, with dreadlocks and wearing a black hoodie.
A witness reportedly told officers that the man had struck the injured woman in the head.
That preliminary information may relate to the CPD’s subsequent statement that the suspect was injured while bystanders detained her, but police have not publicly identified who injured the woman.
There is no indication in the CPD’s homicide report that this man stabbed the child.
Knife Found During Investigation
Police radio communications indicated that officers found a knife near the scene while searching the area.
Officers had not yet determined whether it was the sharp object used to kill the child. Preliminary radio communications reportedly indicated that officers saw no visible blood on the knife.
Investigators also reportedly obtained video from a nearby cell phone store showing the young victim collapsing.
Reporter Saw Photos Before Death Was Confirmed
The independent reporter said a woman at the scene showed him photographs of the injured child.
He described apparent wounds to the girl’s head and body and said the photographs were extremely disturbing. He did not witness the stabbing himself.
People at the scene were already telling him the child might have died. The reporter said the photographs made him fear that was the case, but he continued to describe her death as only a possibility because it had not yet been officially confirmed.
The CPD subsequently confirmed in its 2:30 p.m. homicide report that the 7-year-old had been pronounced dead at Comer Children’s Hospital.
Police Investigation Continues
Numerous Chicago Police Department and Chicago Fire Department units responded as officers worked to control the crowd, secure the crime scene, collect evidence, and interview witnesses.
The final sequence of events released by the CPD on Saturday afternoon shows that the 7-year-old was walking south when an adult woman approached her with a sharp object and stabbed her multiple times in the back.
Witnesses then detained the woman. She was injured during the detention, hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, and taken into police custody.
Police have not publicly released the girl’s identity, the alleged offender’s identity, their relationship, a possible motive, or criminal charges against the woman.
Homicide Tally
Oct 3 11:55 AM 8600 S Cottage Grove F7 multiple stab wounds to the back DEAD
Sources: CPD Zone 8 radio traffic; CFD radio traffic; Citizen incident timeline; independent on-scene livestream.
7-Year-Old Child Stabbed in the Head, Critically Injured; Suspect Injured, in Custody @CitizenApp
8637 S Cottage Grove Ave
Published Oct 3 at 12:02 PM
Updated Oct 3 at 12:53 PM
https://t.co/3xJmNI2c6k#ChicagoScanner #CrimeNews #Stabbing
— SubX.News® (@SubxNews) October 3, 2026
Despite the doctors’ efforts, the child succumbed to her injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital.
While bystanders were subduing her, the woman was injured and was also taken to a hospital. According to authorities, her injuries were not life-threatening.
After receiving medical care, she was taken into police custody; her identity has not yet been released.
The motive for the attack remains unknown
Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack, and it remains unclear whether the woman knew the 7-year-old girl.
The motive also remains unknown, and charges against the suspect are expected to be announced after the initial investigation is completed.
Chicago 8th Ward Alderwoman Michelle Harris expressed her sorrow over the child’s death.
“I am deeply devastated by the senseless knife attack on a seven-year-old child in our neighborhood,” she said in a statement, expressing her support for the girl’s family and friends.
She also thanked the citizens who intervened and subdued the woman, noting that their immediate response may have prevented further injuries.
The Chicago Police Department has asked anyone with information about the case to contact the authorities, while the investigation has been taken over by the local homicide unit.
Source: Proto Thema
