Woman Cuts 3-Week-Old Daughter's Throat, Jealous Believing Husband Loved Baby More

A "jealous" mother allegedly cut her three-week-old daughter’s throat thinking her husband loved the baby more than her. The incident took place Tuesday in an apartment in Rivne, northwestern Ukraine.

Local media reported the 21-year-old mother attacked her baby when her husband, 26, went out to throw the garbage. When he returned to the apartment he saw his wife’s hands were covered with blood. He rushed into the bedroom and saw his daughter lying motionless in a pool of blood. The shocked father immediately called emergency services.

"He went out for a few minutes and she grabbed a kitchen knife and cut the child’s throat open," the man’s mother Maria Momot said, adding that her daughter-in-law was jealous of the baby, local media reported.

"My son and I loved the child very much. We gave her all our thoughts and care," she added, according to the Daily Mail. "This morning I bathed my little granddaughter and now she is gone... I cannot believe that it all happened to our family."

Police told local media they found the murder weapon in the kitchen sink. The knife was covered in the child’s blood when they retrieved it.

"The child died of the knife wound to its throat... The mother could not explain why she did it. She could not even remember what she was doing during the day," police spokesman Anton Kruk reportedly said.

Local media also shared photos of the crime scene, showing the murder weapon in the kitchen sink.

Investigation revealed that the woman was suffering from meningoencephalitis -- an inflammation of the brain -- in November last year. It is believed the disease may have affected her mental health, and she recently underwent treatment. The mother was taken into custody and will undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

The examination would determine if the woman should be charged with premeditated murder of a minor. The charge carries up to 15 years in prison, if found guilty.