Gwendolyn Girard (Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office).

A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a 12-year-old girl in the face and neck, then attempting to conceal the still-alive victim’s body in a nature preserve.

The suspect, Gwendolyn Girard, 35, is facing charges of aggravated battery and child abuse. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Cecil Webb Wildlife Management Area in Punta Gorda on Monday afternoon after witnesses discovered the girl with stab injuries. Upon arrival, deputies found her weak and urgently needing medical care, according to a press release from the agency.

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The victim told deputies Girard attacked her and left her under the brush before driving away in a gold van.

Authorities tracked down both the van and Girard in North Fort Myers, taking her in for interrogation and the vehicle for evidence processing. During an interview, the suspect allegedly confessed to the stabbing and disclosed the location of the knife involved in the incident.

Authorities have not detailed the relationship between Girard and the victim. A probable cause arrest affidavit was not available as of Tuesday afternoon.

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“In my 33-year career, there are only a handful of times that I have been left speechless. This is one of those times,” Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a statement. “To attack a child with a knife … I can’t understand it. It is only by God’s grace that she is still with us today, and I pray for her as she heals from this horrific incident. Unfortunately, the mental trauma inflicted on her may never heal.”