A babysitter has been arrested for allegedly stabbing to death the 3-year-old girl she was minding in Las Vegas, police said.

Marketta Phillips, aged 41, faces charges of open murder involving a deadly weapon related to a death that occurred around 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday in an apartment, during the time the victim’s father was at work, according to a statement by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).

Police said Phillips stabbed the girl and then fled the scene when the father arrived home. The apartment, located at the 4200 block of Channel 10 Drive, is situated around five miles south of Downtown Las Vegas.

Babysitter Marketta Phillips has been arrested for allegedly stabbing to death the 3-year-old girl she was minding in Las Vegas, police said. (KVVU)

Phillips was booked into the Clark County Detention Center. A motive for the killing is unclear, and it is not known what relationship, if any, Phillips had to the child or her father. 

She made her first court appearance at the Regional Justice Center on Thursday, News3LV reported. A judge ordered her to remain held without bail.

This isn’t Phillips’ only run-in with police. 

A woman who said she is the aunt of the victim said the family is doing “horribly,” per the outlet. (Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images for Experience Strategy Associates)

About a week ago, police responded to the same unit where the child was killed, and they put Phillips on a “Legal 2000,” which is essentially a 72-hour mental health crisis hold, according to Fox 5 Vegas, citing sources. It’s used when a person is determined to be a danger to themselves or others.

A woman who said she is the aunt of the victim said the family is doing “horribly,” per the outlet.