‘We are literally two days out from a holiday’: Mother stabbed to death, baby dies and 2 other children injured after apartment set ablaze

Investigators in Daytona Beach, Florida, are looking for the person who stabbed a mother to death and then set her apartment on fire with her three children still inside, leading to the death of a 1-year-old.

The Daytona Beach Fire Department was called to a structure fire around midnight Tuesday and found heavy smoke and flames when they arrived. Firefighters found a woman and three children inside. The woman was dead and the 1-year-old was in cardiac arrest. The baby was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead, fire officials said. The two other children, ages 4 and 5, also were taken to the hospital where they are listed in critical condition.

Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said the woman, who has yet to be publicly identified, was suffering from multiple stab wounds. The State Fire Marshal was called into investigate the cause of the fire, but it was apparently intentionally set, officials stated. Young said the investigation was in its early stages and did not release any information about possible suspects.

“This is a horrific incident,” he said. “We are literally two days out from a holiday that centers around family and this is what we’re here dealing with this morning.”

The Daytona Beach Fire Department in Florida responded to an apartment fire and found a woman dead and three children inside. The woman was suffering from stab wounds and a one-year-old child later died. The two other children, 4 and 5, are in critical condition. The fire was intentionally set, police say. (Daytona Beach Fire Department)

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