A babysitter has been arrested for allegedly stabbing to death the 3-year-old girl she was minding in Las Vegas, police said.
Marketta Phillips, 41, is facing charges of open murder with a deadly weapon after a tragic incident that occurred in an apartment around 3:30 a.m. on a Wednesday. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) revealed that the incident took place while the victim’s father was away at work.
According to the police, Phillips stabbed the young girl and fled the scene when the father returned home. The apartment where the crime took place is on the 4200 block of Channel 10 Drive, approximately five miles south of Downtown Las Vegas.
Babysitter Marketta Phillips has been taken into custody for the alleged fatal stabbing of a 3-year-old girl under her care in Las Vegas, as confirmed by law enforcement.
Phillips was booked into the Clark County Detention Center. A motive for the killing is unclear, and it is not known what relationship, if any, Phillips had to the child or her father.Â
She made her first court appearance at the Regional Justice Center on Thursday, News3LV reported. A judge ordered her to remain held without bail.
This isn’t Phillips’ only run-in with police.Â
A woman who said she is the aunt of the victim said the family is doing “horribly,” per the outlet. (Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images for Experience Strategy Associates)
About a week ago, police responded to the same unit where the child was killed, and they put Phillips on a “Legal 2000,” which is essentially a 72-hour mental health crisis hold, according to Fox 5 Vegas, citing sources. It’s used when a person is determined to be a danger to themselves or others.
A woman who said she is the aunt of the victim said the family is doing “horribly,” per the outlet.Â
