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5-Year-Old Girl Stabbed To Death In East Garfield Park

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 5-year-old girl was stabbed to death Saturday morning in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.

Charges are pending against the woman suspected of killing the girl, and police believe the two were related.

Neighbors described a shocking crime scene on the 3200 block of West Fulton Boulevard, where police received multiple calls of a person stabbed around 9:15 a.m.

"It wast crazy. There was a couple of neighbors. One of my neighbors was helping her. Then the paramedics came, the Fire Department, they came pretty fast," neighbor Jose Maljar said. "Crazy. That's it; just sad. I mean, just out of nowhere. I seen her yesterday, and today in the morning she's gone. It's just sad."

Maljar saw his 5-year-old neighbor, Serenity Arrington, in critical need of help outside her home on Saturday.

In an area with stuffed animals, bikes, and toys, there were also investigators, squads, and police tape.

Chicago Police Department spokesman Officer Jose Jara firefighters were already treating the 5-year-old girl when officers arrived. She had been stabbed multiple times.

The officers were then approached by a woman who was placed in custody.

Serenity was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

"I always used to walk my dogs with her with my wife. She was always real friendly happy," Maljar said.

Neighbors said the woman taken into custody is the girl's mother, but police would only say they believe the girl and the woman in custody are related.

Maljar said he was not aware of any previous problems with the woman before.

Other neighbors described the 27-year-old woman now in police custody as recently suffering a family loss and dealing with depression and or previous mental health issues

"She was quiet," Maljar said.

Asked if police are looking into whether the suspect has a history of mental illness, Jara said, "the detectives are working on that, so they're touching base with that, and with DCFS, and everything else."

"It's just sad. It's a sad story," Maljar said. "So far, I've been here two years. I love it. It's quiet, and everything, but never had it right next to me."

Police said they've received multiple calls for service at the home before, but provided no specifics on what those calls were.

Charges against the 27-year-old are pending.

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