Mom Drove Daughter to Nature Preserve — Then Allegedly Stabbed Girl in Face, Neck and Left Her in Brush to Die

A Florida woman was arrested after allegedly stabbing her 12-year-old daughter and attempting to hide her body while she was still alive. 

Gwendolyn Girard, 35, was arrested on charges of aggravated battery and child abuse after deputies located the 12-year-old with cuts to her face and neck on May 26, according to a news release from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say the child was weak and needed immediate medical attention but before she was taken to a hospital, the 12-year-old told deputies that Girard attacked her with a knife and left her under the brush before leaving in a gold-colored van, the statement said. 

Members of the nearby Lee County Sheriff’s Office were able to find the van in North Fort Myers with Girard at the same location. According to their statement, the van was towed and Girard was brought in for questioning and arrested. 

Detectives then interviewed Girard, who allegedly confessed to the stabbing and told them where authorities could find the knife used in the attack, their statement said.

“In my 33-year career, there are only a handful of times that I have been left speechless. This is one of those times. To attack a child with a knife… I can’t understand it,” Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a statement. 

The 12-year-old girl was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for her wounds. According to the sheriff’s office, she is in stable condition. 

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Girard is being held at a local jail on a $750,000 bond, pending extradition to the Charlotte County Jail, the statement said. The investigation remains open and ongoing at this time. 

“It is only by God’s grace that she is still with us today, and I pray for her as she heals from the horrific incident,” Prummell said. “Unfortunately, the mental trauma inflicted on her may never heal.”

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.