The fatal stabbing of a woman who was reportedly trying to escape abuse was first reported to police by the couple’s 4-year-old child.
Authorities found 24-year-old Neilyann Ysam dead in a Portland, Ore., home on July 19 after responding to a reported stabbing, Portland Police said in a statement at the time.
S Mate Joseph, 28, was arrested later that day in nearby Vancouver, Wash., according to the statement.
Ysam’s 4-year-old daughter told police, “My dad killed my mom,” according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KATU. The child also shared her father’s name with authorities.
Joseph also called 911, reportedly saying he had stabbed a “loved one” and did not know if they were still alive, according to the affidavit.
When police arrived, they found five children in the home unharmed and took them to safety, Portland Police said.
Four of the children were Ysam’s, KATU reported. Ysam’s aunt told authorities that Ysam and her children had been staying with her after leaving the home she shared with Joseph due to alleged violence, according to the affidavit.
Joseph had previously pleaded guilty to assaulting Ysam while she was pregnant in 2019, according to Clark County court documents cited by KATU.
In 2020, he was found in a car with Ysam and cited for violating a protection order a judge had issued against him in 2019.
Joseph has been charged with second-degree murder and first-degree burglary, Portland Police said.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, KATU reported.
