Police: Mother accused of stabbing children, killing 2

Police in Palm Bay say a 7-year-old girl and 6-year-old boy are dead and a 5-month-old boy is in critical condition.

Officers say when they arrived at the home in the 1100 block of Kenmore Street NW in Palm Bay, the mother was standing outside holding a knife.

That mother, 33-year-old Jessica McCarty, is facing murder charges following the deaths of two of her children and an attempted murder charge for the critical injuries to her third child. She is in police custody and deputies with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office are in the process of transporting her to the Brevard County Detention Center where she will be held without bond on the charges.

Palm Bay police detectives, as well as investigators with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, are trying to piece together the tragedy and remained on scene late into the evening on Friday.

Officers say they received two 911 calls around 6 p.m. advising that multiple children may have been injured or killed inside a home.

According to police, the father of one of the children arrived at the home shortly after the first 911 call and found the children unresponsive. Officials say that he is the one who placed the second 911 call.

When officers arrived on scene, they found a woman standing outside the home with a knife and some injuries to herself. They say she was uncooperative, but they were able to take her into custody and to the hospital.

Officers then found her three children, unresponsive, both inside and outside the house.

"It's very difficult, and were going to have counselors on scene for the officers who are here and also the fire personnel who were here," said Palm Bay Police Chief Mark Renkens, "and then we'll have some follow-up sessions to make sure they're okay."

Initial reports suggested the children had been stabbed, but now police are not saying how they were injured.