Magnolia, TX woman slit 5-year-old step-son's throat(critical cond.)

[MuffyBee]

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8584855
Police: Magnolia woman slit 5-year-old step-son's throat
March 17, 2012

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Magnolia police and the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office responded to a welfare check on a child just after midnight at a mobile home on Roy Lane near F.M. 1488 in Magnolia.

A five-year-old was on the floor, covered in blood when authorities arrived.

According to investigators, the child's throat had multiple lacerations and was sliced from one side to the other. Officials said he also had a crushed chest and severe head injury.

The boy was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital for extensive emergency surgery. At last check, he was listed in critical condition. His family told us he was stable after surgery, but then his condition deteriorated again.

Authorities said the child appeared to have been cut with some sort of razor blade or another sharp object.

The child's father and step-mother were home at the time. Both were taken into custody for questioning.

His step-mother, 45-year-old Daphne Spurlock, is charged with attempted capital murder. There is no word yet on any charges against the father.
Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://blog.chron.com/newswatch/2012/03/magnolia-mom-allegedly-slit-5-year-old%E2%80%99s-throat/
Magnolia mom allegedly slit 5-year-old’s throat
March 17, 2012

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As of Saturday morning, the boy, Michael Spurlock, remained in critical condition at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he had been flown for emergency surgery the night before.

Gwen Carter, Child Protective Services spokeswoman, said the department is investigating the family’s situation.
“We are investigating an alleged abuse of a child,” Carter said Saturday morning. “Our understanding is there are no other children in the home. It doesn’t look like we’ve ever had any contact with the family.”

[MuffyBee]

http://www.khou.com/news/local/MCSO-5-year-old-clinging-to-life-after-throat-slashed-in-Magnolia-143049806.html
MCSO: Mother accused of slitting 5-year-old's throat wanted to 'release the demons' from child
by Nakia Cooper / KHOU.com
March 17, 2012

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – A mother accused of slitting her 5-year-old's throat early Saturday said she wanted to "release the demons" from his body, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. Daphne Octavia Spurlock, has been charged with attempted capital murder.
Magnolia police and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office responded to a welfare check of a child on Roy Lane, just off FM 1488, shortly after midnight.  The child's father told police he believed his son was dead inside a residence.
Authorities entered the home to find a 5-year-old boy, Micheal, covered in blood on the floor of a single-wide mobile home trailer.
The child had multiple lacerations to his throat, which had been slit from side to side. He also had a severe head injury and his chest was possibly crushed.
Authorities said the boy's mother admitted to stomping him in the face and chest area tthen used a large kitchen knife to cut his throat.
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[cookie]

Dear God.....I have no words..

[MuffyBee]

http://www.khou.com/news/Daughter-Mom-accused-of-slashing-sons-throat-is-loving-person-143260886.html
Daughter: Mom accused of slashing son's throat is 'loving person'
by Leigh Frillici / KHOU 11 News
March 18, 2012

[MuffyBee]

http://www.chron.com/news/article/Texas-boy-hospitalized-with-cut-throat-mom-jailed-3415345.php
Texas boy hospitalized with cut throat; mom jailed
March 17, 2012

MAGNOLIA, Texas (AP) — A woman accused of severely injuring her 5-year-old son by slashing his throat told investigators she was releasing demons from his body, police said Saturday.

Daphne Spurlock, 45, was in custody after being arrested on a charge of attempted capital murder, Magnolia police said.

Her young son remained hospitalized in Houston after undergoing surgery and was expected to survive, relatives told Houston television station KTRK.
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Spurlock told investigators she was reading the Bible with her son and realized he was possessed with demons, so she stomped on his chest and face and then cut him with a large kitchen knife while trying to release the demons from his body, police said.

David Spurlock, 59, told the Houston Chronicle that his wife is a born-again Christian who would never have harmed her son on her own.

"She thought the voices were Jesus," he said. "She started cussing a week ago. That was not like her at all."

He also was questioned by Magnolia police, but said he was not involved in the incident at the house, about 45 miles northwest of Houston.
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Gwen Carter, a Child Protective Services spokeswoman, said the department is investigating the alleged abuse of a child. The agency has not had previous contact with the family, she said.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/courier/news/child-remains-critical-after-throat-slashing/article_4d0b2b76-827c-5c57-8cbb-d0a62dc6aa05.html
Child remains critical after throat slashing
By Carrie Thornton |
March 18, 2012

Doctors continue to monitor 5-year-old Michael Spurlock’s brain swelling after his mother allegedly crushed his chest and used a kitchen knife to cut his throat and stab him at least seven times.

The Magnolia Police Department charged the boy’s mother, Daphne Spurlock, 45, with attempted capital murder. The Magnolia PD responded to the scene, where they found Michael covered in blood Friday night in a single-wide mobile home where he lived with his parents.

His father, David Spurlock, was not at home to witness the incident but told officials his wife is a devout Christian, but lately he noticed changes in her demeanor. She allegedly believed her son to be filled with demons. After returning home on 165 Roy St. to see his son unconscious on the floor, David Spurlock called authorities.
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Sgt. Jose Lopez said in a press conference Saturday afternoon that police are uncertain of Spurlock’s mental health status and that they are looking into it.

“The mother does not have a record that we know of yet. We have not had any previous calls at that address before today,” Detective Brian Clack said during the press conference.

“He (the boy’s father) had arrived (Friday) afternoon, saw the child was unresponsive, (and Daphne Spurlock) informed him that she was trying to get the demons out of her child,” Clack said. “He left the residence and contacted us. We do believe that’s when the rest of the injuries occurred, while he was gone.”
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Lopez said six minutes elapsed between the time police received the father’s phone call and when they arrived at the scene.
Police are unsure of how long the boy had lived at the residence or whether anyone else was present at the home during the time of the incident.

The MPD has been receiving updates from the hospital every couple of hours, Lopez said, and by Sunday afternoon Michael was still in critical condition and placed on a ventilator. Doctors have postponed any operations until brain swelling subsides.

[cookie]

the dad left and contacted LE?? WTH?? no phone, cell phone to use while he rendered aid to his little child? leaves the kid alone with the person who had attacked him??? 

[MuffyBee]

the dad left and contacted LE?? WTH?? no phone, cell phone to use while he rendered aid to his little child? leaves the kid alone with the person who had attacked him??? 

I just don't know.    I haven't seen enough information yet to know if he had a cell phone.  If he did, even if he stepped outside  or another room to make a call so it wasn't in front of the mom, he could have wrapped the child in a towel or blanket and carried him with him.

I wonder if he left the house to take something illegal out of the house?  Just thoughts.  He STILL could have taken the injured child, couldn't he?

[cookie]

My thoughts too Muffers..wouldn't  your first instinct to protect your child kick in when you saw your child gravely injured like that? 

[MuffyBee]

I disliked the title of this article so much I almost didn't post it, but it has some up to date information regarding Michael's current medical state.  

http://www.click2houston.com/news/Boy-filled-with-demons-in-medically-induced-coma/-/1735978/9556806/-/jfg7sfz/-/
Boy 'filled with demons' in medically-induced coma
Police: Daphne Spurlock slashed son's throat, stomped on chest
Author: Courtney Zavala, Anchor/Reporter, czavala@kprc.com
March 19, 2012

AGNOLIA, Texas -

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Daphne Spurlock, 45, has been charged with attempted capital murder and is in protected custody under 24-hour watch.

Magnolia police said Spurlock slashed her son's throat from ear to ear and stomped on his head and chest. His chest cavity was crushed.
The boy, Michael, is in a medically-induced coma with life-threatening injuries. He is in stable condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital.

"She informed us she was trying to rid him of his demons," Detective Brian Clack said.
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Investigators said Spurlock made a confession and is aware of what she did. She did not show signs of remorse, officials said.

Monday afternoon, emergency custody was granted to Children's Protective Services.

"Right now, staff is concerned about the father's ability to protect. Right now, we just want to make sure we understand what happened in the home," spokeswoman Gwen Carter said
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[Sister]

I disliked the title of this article so much I almost didn't post it, but it has some up to date information regarding Michael's current medical state.  

http://www.click2houston.com/news/Boy-filled-with-demons-in-medically-induced-coma/-/1735978/9556806/-/jfg7sfz/-/
Boy 'filled with demons' in medically-induced coma
Police: Daphne Spurlock slashed son's throat, stomped on chest
Author: Courtney Zavala, Anchor/Reporter, czavala@kprc.com
March 19, 2012

AGNOLIA, Texas -

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Daphne Spurlock, 45, has been charged with attempted capital murder and is in protected custody under 24-hour watch.

Magnolia police said Spurlock slashed her son's throat from ear to ear and stomped on his head and chest. His chest cavity was crushed.
The boy, Michael, is in a medically-induced coma with life-threatening injuries. He is in stable condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital.

"She informed us she was trying to rid him of his demons," Detective Brian Clack said.
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Investigators said Spurlock made a confession and is aware of what she did. She did not show signs of remorse, officials said.

Monday afternoon, emergency custody was granted to Children's Protective Services.

"Right now, staff is concerned about the father's ability to protect. Right now, we just want to make sure we understand what happened in the home," spokeswoman Gwen Carter said
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They best be concerned about the "father's ability to protect."  He left her with the child . . . what was he thinking????

[cookie]

Right Sister

[MuffyBee]

http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/courier/news/donation-account-opened-to-aid-magnolia-boy-s-recovery/article_2f654d88-e30c-5f97-9cf5-019b8aa09d9b.html
Donation account opened to aid Magnolia boy’s recovery
By James Ridgway Jr.
March 23, 2012

The condition of the 5-year-old Magnolia boy fighting for his life after his mother allegedly slit his throat a week ago still remains uncertain, the boy’s brother, David Spurlock Jr., 39, told the Courier Thursday.

“Because he’s still in a (medically-induced) coma, we just don’t know how certain things will be when he wakes up,” David Spurlock said. “Doctors are monitoring, but haven’t been able to tell us much. They keep saying only time will tell.”

The Michael Spurlock Fund, a community donation account to assist with Michael’s increasingly costly hospital bills, was opened at Woodforest National Bank, David Spurlock said.

An official with Woodforest said anyone wishing to donate can do so at any of their locations by specifying deposits go into the “The Michael Spurlock Fund.”
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Photo of Michael at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.click2houston.com/news/Father-aunt-fight-for-child-whose-throat-was-slashed/-/1735978/9717936/-/bkat0l/-/
Father, aunt fight for child whose throat was slashed
Michael Spurlock, 5, in ICU; mother charged with attempted capital murder
March 27, 2012

HOUSTON -

The father and aunt of a boy whose throat was slashed by his mother went to court Tuesday to fight for custody of him, officials said.

More than a week has passed since Michael Spurlock, 5, was found covered in his own blood. He is in an intensive care unit at Memorial Hermann Hospital and could be there for at least another month, officials said.

Michael's mother, Daphne Spurlock, remains behind bars on an attempted capital murder charge.
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The boy's father was not home at the time of the stabbing, but when he arrived, police said he called 911.

Child Protective Service took emergency custody of Michael.

In Tuesday's hearing, Michael's father and aunt fought for custody of him. Children's Protective Services said they don't think the father will be able to keep Michael safe, so workers will conduct home studies on two relatives -- the aunt and an adult sibling -- to determine if they will be able to care for Michael during his recovery. That process is expected to take 30 to 45 days.

CPS officials said they were working to coordinate a visitation schedule at the hospital so that a relative is always by Michael's side.

Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://blog.chron.com/newswatch/2012/03/magnolia-boy-whose-throat-was-cut-to-remain-in-cps-custody-for-now/
Magnolia boy whose throat was cut to remain in CPS custody for now
March 27, 2012

Michael Spurlock remains in ICU at Memorial Hermann Hospital. (Family photo)

A 5-year-old Magnolia boy whose mother is accused of cutting his throat will remain in Child Protective Services custody after a hearing in Conroe today, officials said.

Michael Spurlock remains in the Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. He was placed in CPS custody by an emergency court order after being attacked by his mother on March 17, Gwen Carter, CPS spokeswoman, said.
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Tuesday’s hearing was an automatic follow-up to the judge’s emergency order and was an opportunity for the family to show cause that he should not be in CPS custody, Carter said.

David Spurlock Sr., the boy’s father, did not contest the state agency being Michael’s managing conservator, Carter said.

Under the conservatorship, CPS acts as the boy’s legal parent and makes decisions for him, but family members are still able to visit him one at a time in ICU, she said.

“There is a lot of family, and they all want to visit,” Carter said.

Judge Joann Otis of the East Texas Cluster Court in Conroe asked the family Tuesday to select two relatives to have home studies for a future placement for Michael, Carter said. The next hearing is expected to be in May, she said.

“Michael may be in ICU for a while,” Carter said. “He continues to need a lot of prayer.”