A Virginia mother and grandmother were hacked to death with a curved dagger inside their Fairfax County home as the former's one-year-old son sat nearby but was left physically unharmed, authorities say.
Fairfax County police say the attack unfolded just after 5 a.m. Monday, Feb. 23, in the Mantua neighborhood, when 54-year-old Chhatra Thapa allegedly turned a 10-inch curved dagger on his wife and adult daughter in what officers later described as a "bloodbath."
The victims have been identified as 33-year-old Mamta Thapa and her 52-year-old mother, Binda Thapa, both originally from Nepal, who lived in the home along with Mamta's husband and infant son, according to People.
Investigators say Mamta's 1-year-old boy was "in the middle" of the chaos as his grandfather allegedly stabbed his mother and grandmother, but he did not suffer any visible injuries. Police and child protective services are now working with victim services to care for the toddler and arrange long-term support for him.
According to Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis, the violence was still underway when officers arrived, responding to two frantic 911 calls, one from a neighbor and one from Mamta's injured husband, who had tried to intervene, the New York Post reported. Officers entered the home and found what Davis called an "unimaginable" scene, with blood on the floors and into the hallway, and multiple family members suffering from severe stab wounds.
Authorities say Mamta's husband was gravely injured as he attempted to stop his father-in-law and remains hospitalized in life-threatening condition. When officers confronted Thapa, they say he was actively stabbing his son-in-law with the curved blade, forcing police to open fire and fatally shoot him to stop the attack.
Neighbors told reporters they woke to banging on doors, screams for help, and the sound of sirens flooding the quiet residential street. One neighbor said Mamta had desperately pounded on her door before collapsing, and that she later saw paramedics rushing victims away and officers stringing up crime-scene tape around the home.
Detectives are still piecing together what led to the deadly outburst inside the family's home, but police say there is no ongoing threat to the public. Community members have begun organizing support for the surviving husband and the 1-year-old boy, who are now at the center of the tragedy, as per Crime Online.
