A South Philly mother with a history of mental health issues has been charged with murder after admitting that she stabbed and killed her own children Wednesday, police told NBC Philadelphia.
Chanthy Mao, 27, confessed to stabbing her 8-year-old son Savann Mao and 12-year-old daughter Savanna Mao, police say.
"I can not believe it. I wish it was a nightmare, but it's not," the suspect's sister Chan Mao tells NBC Philadelphia.
Three generations of the family lived in the home on the 1700 block of S 18th Street -- the girl and boy and their mother were staying with the children's maternal grandparents, according to Philadelphia Police.
The grandfather was home reading in another room when Chanthy Mao allegedly walked into a bedroom and stabbed her two kids with a kitchen knife, according to authorities.
Around 5:30 p.m. the children’s grandmother returned home to find the siblings in the bedroom they shared together -- they were stabbed multiple times in the chest, said cops.
Savanna had defensive wounds after apparently trying to fight back against the attack, police said.
"It's something very difficult for police to deal with, the family, neighbors, everyone," Chief Inspector Scott Small said. "This is unusual, very tragic and very sad."
The children's mother was acting strangely and swallowed rat poison -- trying to take her own life, after stabbing her children, sources said.
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She was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where she was treated and released into police custody.
Her sister tells NBC Philadelphia that Chanthy suffered from depression ever since the family moved to South Philadelphia about a year ago.
The kids, however, were happy to be living in the U.S., according to family.
"They loved school. During the summer they still wanted to go," Chan said.
Chanthy Mao was committed just last week for mental health issues and allegedly tried to kill herself last year, sources said.
Sources tell NBC Philadelphia that Chanthy and the children's father have not been together for many years.
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