Pictured: Mother, 35, feared to have stabbed daughter, five, to death
Pictured: Mother, 35, feared to have stabbed daughter, five, to death before ‘trying to kill herself’ in bloodbath at London home
- Neighbour found the woman, named Sutha Karunanantham, ‘covered in blood’
- Police and paramedics rushed to the flat in Mitcham, south London, yesterday
- Little Sajaky Karunanantham was pronounced dead after being flown to hospital
- Her mother remains in a critical condition after undergoing a five-hour operation
By Tom Pyman For Mailonline and Shekha Bhatia For Mailonline
Published: 09:15 EDT, 1 July 2020 | Updated: 11:17 EDT, 1 July 2020
A ‘severely depressed’ mother killed her ‘sweet’ five-year-old daughter before trying to take her own life, according to a neighbour who discovered the horrific scene.
Little Sajaky was found ‘lifeless’ at her home in Mitcham, south London yesterday with her mother Sutha Karunanantham, 35, in a pool of blood.
Locals have spoken of their shock after the pair, pictured for the first time today, were flown to hospital following an incident inside the flat in Monarch Parade.
The child was pronounced dead shortly after arriving while the woman remains in a critical condition after undergoing a five-hour operation.
Sajaky Karunanantham, five, was stabbed to death in her South London home last night while her mother, 35, named locally as Sutha Karunanantham, was in a critical condition in hospital
Forensic teams and uniformed officers were seen outside the property in Mitcham this morning
Floral tributes in memory of the five-year-old girl, were left tied to railings outside the flat
A police cordon remains in force at the scene of the incident, which left a child dead and a woman in a critical condition
Sajaky Karunanantham, pictured left and night, was pronounced dead on Tuesday and described by neighbours as ‘such a good girl’
NHS worker and neighbour Elsa Gonzales, 47, described hearing screaming and crying coming from the property, where a family-of-four from Sri Lanka lived.
When she arrived, she discovered the woman wearing only her underwear.
She said: ‘A young boy was crying and screaming.
‘I went next door and saw the lady on the floor covered in blood.
‘She had what looked like a knife wound in her stomach.
‘She killed her daughter and then she tried to kill herself. That’s what I believe the boy said.’
Scotland Yard said it has not made any arrests. They are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
Little Sajaky was attending a local Tamil class to learn her parent’s language, sources close to the family told MailOnline.
Her father, Sivanantham Karunanantham, known as Suganthan, works in a local Sainsbury’s supermarket and received a call while on shift informing him of the tragedy.
He is being comforted by friends and family today.
Sources close to him said his wife had undergone an operation lasting five hours for a knife wound to her stomach and faced further surgery.
Ms Gonzales said she had heard the mother was ‘severely depressed’ and had also been suffering from illness before the incident.
NHS worker and neighbour Elsa Gonzales, 47, pictured, described hearing screaming and crying coming from the flat in Monarch Parade
A forensics team were seen entering the flat in Mitcham today while a uniformed police officer stood guard outside the first floor property
A pool of blood could be seen today outside the property in Monarch Parade, where the girl and woman were found
Wahe Guna, 27, who works at the Kwik Mart shop below the flat in Monarch Parade, pictured, said the family were regular customers
Blood was seen on the doorstep of the property in Mitcham this morning, as police continue to investigate
Paying tribute to the young girl, Ms Gonzales said: ‘She’s so smart and so tough. She was always fighting with the boys when she played.
‘She’s always smiling at me. She was such a good girl. My heart breaks for her.’
Another neighbour Riza Marfilla, 55, said: ‘It’s so sad. She likes Bruno – my dog. Whenever she would see him, she would be shoutIng ‘Bruno! Bruno!’.
‘She is such a sweet child.’
A forensics team were seen entering the flat today while a uniformed police officer stood guard outside the first floor property.
Meanwhile flowers have been left tied on to a railing outside the flat.
One witness saw the father, a worker at Sainsbury’s, being spoken to by police.
Wahe Guna, 27, who works at the Kwik Mart shop below the flat in Monarch Parade, said the family were regular customers.
He said: ‘He comes everyday in the shop. In the last two or three days I didn’t see him. His daughter and his son are of good character. I’m so sad to think she is gone.
‘They’re a good family. Everyday he comes in to spend a few pounds. Some days I give the children chocolates.
‘Yesterday I didn’t see them. I didn’t see them on Monday or Tuesday.’
The Metropolitan Police said they will be releasing further information about the incident later
He added: ‘Some people said there were family problems. I’ve heard people say the mother is depressed.
‘At around 4pm yesterday, there was a helicopter and police blocked the road.
‘Last Monday he was all smiles. She talked and said, how are you? I don’t know what could have happened.’
The road outside the property, which is on a parade of shops near Mitcham Library, was closed for several hours last night.
Witnesses filmed the police response and the helicopter taking the two victims to hospital.
A Met spokesperson said: ‘Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and a woman and a child were inside a property suffering injuries.
‘The woman, aged 35, has been taken to hospital where her injuries are deemed life-threatening.
‘The child, a five-year-old girl, was also taken to hospital however was pronounced dead shortly after. Next of kin have been informed.
‘A post-mortem examination will take place in due course.’
