NEW ORLEANS — Someone left a stuffed animal and balloons on the front steps of a house in the 3100 block of Law Street in New Orleans.
The Florida area community is now learning the chilling details of what happened inside the home shortly after 11 on Sunday.
The NOPD arrested Janee Pedescleaux, 31, for allegedly stabbing her two small children there.
Her 4-year-old daughter died. Her 2-year-old son is in critical condition.
“I came to pray, been praying, never stopped praying since I heard it happened,” Rev. Johnny Arvie from the Missionary Baptist Church down the block said.
Neighbors showed WWL-TV a home security video of the father rushing to the home after seeing a disturbing social media post by the mother.
She said in a shirt stained with blood, “My children are dead. I’m done. I'm done with life."
Pastor Arvie said he wished the mother had reached out for help.
“I was hurt. I was sad and confused as a minister, we get confused too. Confused about why it happened and how it happened and wish I could have done something to stop this.”
According to neighbors, the father Jermaine Roberts broke a window to get to his kids.
Video showed him carrying out his son with his injured daughter running behind them.
The father rushed them to the hospital where the girl later died.
Pastor Arvie said in the face of this terrible tragedy, it is his job as a member of the clergy to help restore hope in this community,
“Reassure them that God has a plan. He has a purpose to everything that goes on. There’s a purpose.”
WWL-TV spoke briefly with the children’s grandmother.
She said the family did not wish to make any comment at this time.
Monday police booked the mother Janee Pedescleaux on second-degree murder, attempted murder, and second-degree cruelty to a juvenile charges.
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