An arrest report reveals a 12-year-old girl played dead after she said her mother stabbed her and left her in the brush in Charlotte County.
A couple found the girl on Monday and called 911, reporting, "A little girl stopped us, she's bleeding."
Investigators said the girl told them her mother, Gwendolyn Girard, dragged her by the scalp, stabbed her repeatedly, and left her in the brush at the Cecil Webb Management Area. The girl managed to flag down the couple driving by.
The girl was stabbed in her face, neck, and chest, and she told deputies she played dead, hoping the attack would stop. When asked if the girl knew where her mother went, the response was, "She just said her mom got in the car and drove off."
Deputies later apprehended Girard in North Fort Myers, where she reportedly gave a full confession. The victim told investigators that her mother said she tried to kill her so no one else could.
On Tuesday, Charlotte County divers searched a pond and creek near Girard's North Fort Myers home. Deputies have not said if divers recovered any evidence. Girard is currently in jail.
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