LONGWOOD, Fla. — A Longwood family has been torn apart after two girls were stabbed, one of them fatally.
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Police say the girls’ father is connected to the attack.
After a 4-year-old was stabbed, her 12-year-old sister escaped and ran down the road to McDonald’s to get help, covered in stab wounds and blood.
Longwood police said the father, 39-year-old Juan Bravo Torres, is in critical condition with stab wounds that appear to be “self-inflicted.”
The girls’ mother wasn’t home at the time.
Channel 9 dug into Torres’ history and found a person with the same name and birthday accused of punching the mother of his children in the face. Longwood police filed the report but haven’t confirmed it’s the same person.
Domestic violence expert Carol Wick said one of the leading causes of child deaths in child welfare cases is “the perpetrator murdering the children.”
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“Often times, the victim is left behind to suffer, and that’s done purposely,” Wick said, adding that murder-suicide in domestic situations is “very common.”
But what can you do if you see something happening with a friend or family member?
“It’s really important to not criticize the partner, but instead tell them that you’re there for them,” Wick said. “Tell them you’re concerned.”
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For immediate assistance, please call the Florida Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-500-1119, TDD at 800-621-4202 or the Harbor House 24-Hour Hotline at 407-886-2856
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