A 5-year-old girl who was found wandering alone in Massachusetts Wednesday morning led police to a grisly scene at her house, where investigators found her mother dead and her father stabbed, authorities said.
Around 6:10 a.m., an officer driving on Worcester Street spotted the little girl on the side of the busy road by her herself, according to a post on the Grafton Police Department’s Facebook page.
The officer radioed for assistance and a sergeant responded to the scene.
The girl told the pair that “mommy is sick” and “mommy is sleeping,” Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early said at a news conference later that day, according to television station WCVB in Boston.
After questioning the girl, they brought her back to her house where they first found a man on the kitchen floor with what appeared to be a knife in his neck, the post stated.
The child’s mother, 36-year-old Kelly Sugarman, was then found dead in her bedroom, according to police.
The man was later identified as the girl’s father, 42-year-old Michael Sugarman, officials said.
He was still clutching the knife in his neck, but was alive when police discovered him, according to the post. Michael Sugarman was taken to a hospital in unknown condition.
“Keeping in mind we are early in the investigation, the appropriate charges will be forthcoming,” Early said, according to the post. “The medical examiner has accepted the case and an autopsy will determine the cause and manner of Ms. Sugarman’s death.”
He said murder charges are likely to be filed against Michael Sugarman, WCVB reported.
The girl was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. She was released to the state’s Department of Children and Families.
