SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A Utah woman has been charged with the stabbing death of her 4-year-old daughter in their home, authorities said.
Prosecutors charged 29-year-old Nicole Lester with one count of aggravated murder Wednesday, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
West Valley City Police officers responded to a 911 call after Lester went to a neighbor’s house and said she had killed her daughter Dec. 31, police said.
Officers found the child’s body in the basement of Lester’s home. The child had been stabbed at least 30 times, a police probable cause statement said.
The girl suffered wounds to her shoulder, wrist, chest, lungs, and spine, a medical examiner’s report said.
A 6-year-old boy was discovered sleeping and unharmed in a bedroom.
The house is owned by Lester’s mother, who was not home at the time but returned and took custody of the boy, authorities said.
Lester’s internet browser history included queries about how to commit violent acts, including questions specifically about harming children, police said.
Lester is being held at Salt Lake County jail. No attorney or publicly listed phone number was immediately available for her.
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