Man Attacks Co-Passenger, Slits Her Throat In Front Of 4-Year-Old Daughter

A woman in Wisconsin was stabbed and had her throat cut Tuesday, in front of her 4-year-old daughter, by a co-passenger in her car.

The unidentified victim, 34, was behind the wheels, while her young daughter and the assailant were present in the car. The woman pulled over the vehicle to the side of Highway 45 shortly after 11:30 p.m. (EST) and a scuffle ensued, leading to the stabbing.

“This was a domestic violence situation and was one of those cases where it turned very violent,” Shawano County Sheriff Adam Bieber said.

A passerby picked up the woman and her daughter and brought them to safety. She was transferred to a medical facility with the help of deputies and medical personnel. The child was not injured.

“This person intervened when they did not have to,” Bieber said. “We will never know for sure, but it likely saved the woman’s life and likely saved the child’s life.”

Thanking the passerby, he said, “Everybody is responsible for what is happening in their community, and if there are able body persons out there that can help people and they feel comfortable, safe and prepared enough to help someone in need, they should. We are thankful that this person saw an opportunity and took it.”

The unidentified man, 31, of Hortonville was taken into custody. Police didn’t release any further information and the incident was under investigation.

The woman reportedly was a resident of Wittenberg, a village in Shawano County with a population of about 1,000. The woman’s condition wasn’t immediately known.

In April, an elderly woman in New York was stabbed to death by her fiancé after she broke off their engagement and removed her engagement ring. The 64-year-old victim was stabbed multiple times in her chest by her 63-year-old fiancé. She was immediately rushed to the nearby Bellevue Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. Police said the woman called off the engagement on the grounds that her fiancé had uncontrollable anger issues. The suspect fled the scene after the crime and was later found on the rooftop of his five-story apartment, threatening to kill himself.