Shanynthia Gardner, 29, admitted to the fatal stabbings while talking to her husband, Martin Gardner, on the phone just minutes after committing the crimes, according to an affidavit obtained by FOX13.
Gardner, according to the affidavit, stabbed four of her children – all under the age of 5 – in the throat area, leaving them to die before deputies arrived.
Investigators told FOX13 two of the children’s bodies were found in the living room area and the other two bodies were found in a bedroom, lying motionless on the ground.
The affidavit states that Gardner had cuts to her neck and wrists when deputies arrived at the Greens at Irene apartments in the 4700 block of Southern Hill Drive around 12:40 p.m.
One of Gardner’s children, a 7-year-old, was able to escape in hopes of getting help for his siblings before it was too late.
The 7-year-old ran outside and told a witness his mother had stabbed his sister. The witness told police he saw Gardner come out of the home with a large knife in her hand and then re-enter the apartment.
Gardner is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of child abuse and four counts of aggravated child abuse and neglect.
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