A Michigan nanny has been charged with murder after allegedly fatally stabbing the grandfather of a toddler she was hired to care for.
Authorities in Royal Oak, Michigan, say 83-year-old David Ong was asked by his daughter to check on her child and the nanny, 35-year-old Samantha Booth, on Oct. 24 after she was unable to reach them while out of town.
When Ong failed to respond, his daughter asked her brother-in-law to stop by the house. According to police, the man entered the home and heard noises coming from the basement. There, he allegedly found Booth “in a manic state covered in blood,” while Ong lay gravely injured.
Police allege that Booth attacked the man with a screwdriver as he tried to rescue the toddler and escape. Ong is believed to have been killed with the same weapon. Despite the confrontation, the man managed to reach a nearby home with the child and call 911.
Officers say Booth eventually removed her clothes and dropped the screwdriver before being arrested. Both the uncle and the child sustained minor injuries.
Booth, who has no prior criminal record, faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree child abuse, felonious assault, and three counts of resisting a police officer. It has not been confirmed whether she has entered a plea.
Fox 2 and Click On Detroit reported that the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said Booth had known the family for two years and previously cared for the child without incident. Prosecutors noted that she appeared to be behaving normally earlier in the day. Police allegedly found psychedelic mushrooms in Booth’s purse, though it remains unclear whether she was under the influence at the time.
According to the same outlets, Booth was scheduled to appear virtually in court on Oct. 28 but was reportedly uncooperative, hiding unclothed on the floor of her holding cell.
