Charges were announced against a woman who police said killed her son and attempted to take her own life inside their West Philadelphia apartment.
Jennifer Joseph, 40, was arrested and charged with murder.
On Monday at 10:10 p.m., Philadelphia police were called to an apartment on the 4800 block of Pine Street. When they arrived they found 5-year-old Devon Joseph unresponsive in a tub of water with what appeared to be a cut to his neck.
Devon’s mother, Jennifer Joseph, was found in a nearby bedroom bleeding from self-inflicted lacerations to her wrist, police said.
The mom and son were alone at the apartment at the time, police said. The boy’s father and Joseph’s husband told police he found his wife cutting her wrist in the bedroom.
The boy was taken to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where he was pronounced dead at 1:03 p.m.
Investigators called the incident a homicide and an attempted suicide.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Jennifer Joseph was taken to the Penn-Presbyterian Medical Center where she was listed in stable condition and guarded as a prisoner. On Wednesday, she was officially charged with murder.
SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: If you are in crisis, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting 'Home' to 741741.
