A South Carolina mother is accused of attacking her two children with a knife, leaving them with devastating injuries that could result in amputation, police say.
Taylor Gosnell, 35, faces attempted murder charges after allegedly stabbing her three- and six-year-old children more than 50 times at their Spartanburg County home on Saturday afternoon, according to WSPA News.
Deputies responding to the home reportedly found blood throughout the property, shattered mirrors and the two children unattended and suffering severe injuries. The six-year-old boy was particularly badly hurt.
The boy could lose several fingers and possibly an arm because of the extent of his injuries, the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said during a bond hearing, according to the outlet.
Both children survived and were taken to hospital, where they are expected to recover. Investigators said Gosnell appeared distressed when officers arrived, and she was transported for a mental health evaluation.
Neighbors said the alleged attack came as a profound shock. They reported that they had never seen or heard anything unusual from the home, despite living only a short distance away.
“Me and my son, we spent just about every day outside. We’d be outside for a good six hours out of the day in the summertime. And you never seen, you never heard anything. Never,” an unidentified resident told Fox Carolina.
Another neighbor said the community was devastated by what happened and was praying for the injured children.
Taylor Gosnell, 35, of South Carolina, is accused of attacking her two young children with a knife, leaving her son with arm injuries so severe that doctors may have to amputate it
Gosnell faces attempted murder charges after allegedly stabbing her six-year-old and three-year-old children more than 50 times at their Spartanburg County home
Gosnell faces attempted murder charges after allegedly stabbing her six-year-old and three-year-old children more than 50 times at their Spartanburg County home
Gosnell had previously drawn police attention in connection with allegations involving children, including child endangerment charges filed in 2024 that remain pending, according to The State.
She was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center later that night and remains in custody without bond while the sheriff’s office continues its investigation.
“We’re going to do our job,” Graham McLellan of the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office said, according to WSPA.
“Our deputies are going to go out there and do what they have to do to make sure that there’s justice delivered for these children,” he added.
The incident began to unfold at around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, when officers were sent to a home in the 1400 block of Bud Arthur Bridge Road in Cowpens for a welfare check on two children.
The six-year-old had called his grandmother to say that he and his sibling were home alone and that he was hungry. She and Gosnell’s former boyfriend hurried to the property and called 911.
Deputies found both children “covered in blood,” with “countless lacerations” across their bodies, inside the home.
Some of the wounds were so deep that they reached the bone, the solicitor’s office said during Sunday’s bond hearing.
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Deputies found blood throughout the home, shattered mirrors and two unattended children suffering severe injuries
The horrifying discovery began when police were called to a home on the 1400 block of Bud Arthur Bridge Road
Gosnell had previously come to police attention over allegations involving children, including pending child endangerment charges dating back to 2024
The home was described as a blood-soaked scene, with televisions and mirrors smashed and shattered glass and debris strewn throughout the house.
‘There is no preparation that our deputies can have to see something like that,’ the sheriff’s office said.
When Gosnell returned to the scene shortly afterward, police said she was speaking rapidly and appeared increasingly distressed. She also told officers she was experiencing ‘visions.’
She then attempted to flee the scene, but officers handcuffed her to a stretcher and placed her in an ambulance for a mental health evaluation.
The children were placed in protective custody and rushed to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center before being transferred to Greenville Children’s Hospital, where they are still being treated.
While doctors expect both children to make a full recovery, the sheriff’s office said they are expected to undergo additional surgeries.
An investigation found that Gosnell attacked her children with a knife and a blunt object sometime early that morning, while it was still dark outside, authorities said.
She was booked into jail shortly before midnight and charged with two counts of attempted murder, the sheriff’s office announced.
Both children were rushed to hospital, where they are expected to recover. Gosnell, who investigators said appeared distressed, was taken for a mental health evaluation
Gosnell attempted to flee the scene, but officers handcuffed her to a stretcher and placed her in an ambulance
‘I’m just praying that [the children] are placed somewhere that they will be safe and taken care of,’ neighbor Cheryl Bryant told WSPA 7 News.
Gosnell was out on bond at the time of her latest arrest after being charged in February 2024 with two counts of unlawfully placing a child at risk of harm or willfully abandoning a child, according to court records obtained by The State.
She was released on $5,000 bond for each charge, both of which remain pending.
Gosnell was denied bond at Sunday’s hearing, where she was told a circuit court judge would decide the next steps in the case at a later date. The solicitor also said she had no prior criminal history.
She is due back in court for her first appearance hearing on November 12 and, if convicted, could face a combined maximum sentence of 60 years in prison.
