4 Children Stabbed to Death, Mother Detained

Four children—all younger than 6—were fatally stabbed in Memphis on Friday afternoon, and their mother has been detained, said the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. They were all pronounced dead on the scene. “Our community has suffered an egregious act of evil and tremendous loss today,” Sheriff Bill Oldham said. “One of the most difficult questions in any investigation always is ‘why?’” Officials have not released the names of the children who were slain. “My heart breaks with the tragic murder of four young children today,” said Shelby County Mayor Mark H. Luttrell Jr. “Please pray for their relatives as they grieve for this tremendous loss, and for the first responders that will help them through this dire time. Shelby County’s counseling and trauma relief resources will be available to heal and comfort as best as we can.”