Father Kills 2 Children Before Stabbing Himself In Case Of Attempted Murder-Suicide

In what was reported to be a case of “attempted murder-suicide,” a father stabbed his two children, including a one-year-old girl, to death in Ilford, London, on Sunday, before stabbing himself.

The Ilford police rushed to a house in the north of Aldborough Road on Sunday evening after they received a distress call from a woman reporting about a stabbing incident.

“The woman who lives there came running out screaming, ‘Help me, help me, it’s my children’ over and over. She was crying and she was desperate. I tried to help her call the police, in the end, she got through,” Sivasuthan Goballaillai, who runs a supermarket next to the family’s residence, said.

“She was shaking and hysterical. I know the family, they are nice. They come in the shop, I just couldn’t understand what had happened,” Goballaillai added.

The police on arrival found a one-year-old girl and her 3-year-old brother lying with stab wounds in a pool of blood. The girl was declared dead on the scene. The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

The father, identified as 40-year-old Nithin Kumar, who hailed from Sri Lanka, was found with stab wounds and rushed to the hospital with critical injuries. He continued to be in the hospital under police guard. No updates were available about his current condition.

Thomas Dodds, who lives 20 yards away from the family’s house, said he heard the woman screaming and crying for help before the police arrived at the scene, and added he was shocked he heard about what actually happened in the house.

"It sickens me, a young baby and a three-year-old. Someone who did that doesn't have a heart, to put a knife into a baby," Dodds told local media.

Reshna Begum, a mother-of-two and a neighbor, said, "I heard a woman screaming 'Help me'. I knew something horrible must have happened, it went on for about 10 minutes."

"My heart just sank, it's devastating, horrific. From a mother's perspective, I'm still shaken from it, I can't imagine what she feels at the moment," she added.

The leader of Redbridge Council, Jas Athwal, tweeted about the incident saying, “My thoughts are with the family and wider community who are grieving this unspeakable tragedy. We ask that everyone please respects the family's privacy at this difficult time.”

A spokesperson from the Metropolitan police said, “It is believed all parties are known to each other. Inquiries are ongoing.”

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.