Chicago mom suddenly stabs baby daughter to death, leaps from apartment window, cops retrieve her from sidewalk and arrest her

A Chicago apartment turned from domestic bliss into an unimaginable nightmare in seconds on Friday. For an unexplained reason, new mom Tatiana Maxwell (25) grabbed a knife, stabbed her infant daughter Nyhnia Stovall to death, and then threw herself out of an upper-level apartment window.

According to the police report, the incident took place in the early morning of May 15 in the 3000 block of W. 59th Street. Maxwell is said to have stabbed her baby then opened the second-floor window and hurled herself out, presumably hoping to end her own life.

An eyewitness told Fox 32 Chicago that they saw the aftermath and the frantic efforts to save it, along with Maxwell hitting the ground:

“I didn’t see it [the baby] bleeding, but it looked limp and after that, they put two kids in the squad car… they took off and then, at that point, more squad cars came and two ambulances. Then I saw the lady hit the ground. I didn’t see where she jumped from, but I did see her hit the ground and then fall on her side.”

Maxwell doesn’t appear to have suffered serious injuries from her fall and was peeled off the sidewalk by cops and charged with a felony count of first-degree murder and a felony count of murder with a strong probability of death or injury.

There’s no silver lining to this story, and we can’t know what was going on in Maxwell’s head as she stabbed her baby. But, sadly, this kind of thing can happen with new moms.

Postpartum psychosis?

It’s possible that Maxwell was suffering from some form of postpartum psychosis in which she became detached from reality, she may have had a run-of-the-mill psychotic episode related to existing mental health problems, this may be a consequence of drug use, or she might just have consciously decided to do this monstrous act for reasons known only to her.

Regardless, this kind of thing isn’t as rare as you’d like it to be. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), there is an average of 267 infant homicides per year in the United States, with new moms more likely than new dads to kill their kids.

Maxwell has now ruined her life and will have years behind bars to ponder her actions. Despite everything, we can only hope she gets the help she so clearly needs. After all, any punishment the law can provide is nothing compared to the intense guilt she’s going to feel every minute of her life from now on.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please seek help. You can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website for support and resources.