NEW ORLEANS — A New Orleans woman is accused of stabbing her 4-year-old daughter to death, and trying to do the same to her 2-year-old son on Sunday morning.
The New Orleans Police Department said 31-year-old Janee Pedesclaux faces charges of second-degree murder, attempted murder and second-degree cruelty to a juvenile. Pedesclaux was booked Monday after having been hospitalized briefly.
The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate reports that Pedesclaux is the mother of the two children. They were identified by an uncle of theirs as Paris and Jaceon Roberts.
Investigators say the stabbing happened around 11 a.m. in the 3100 block of Law Street near Louisa Street in the Florida area.
Moments after the stabbing, a woman believed to be Pedesclaux shared a short video on Instagram with blood dripping down her chest. In the now-deleted video, the woman says, "I'm done. My children are dead. I'm done. I'm done with life."
The woman in the video adds: "It's all Jermaine's fault."
The newspaper reports that Pedesclaux was in a child custody dispute with Jermaine Roberts, the father of the two children. Roberts reportedly sued Pedesclaux in April seeking joint custody that would allow him to see the children on weekends. In court documents, Roberts argued that Pedesclaux was "not stable or providing a healthy environment for the kids."
Both children were taken to a hospital in a personal vehicle. The 4-year-old girl died at the hospital. The 2-year-old boy is still alive but listed in critical condition, according to the NOPD.
Neighbors and friends of the family were stunned by the crime. For most it was too soon to talk.
"It hurts," said Reverend Johnny Arvie of the Law Street Missionary Baptist Church. "It's said. I feel for the children, the father and even the mother."
Anyone with information about the stabbing is asked to call the NOPD Child Abuse Section at 504-658-5267 or Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111.
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