JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The mother of a 6-year-old girl who police said was found fatally stabbed in an Arlington home was booked into the Duval County jail Friday on a charge of second-degree murder.
Purkanah Mayo, 36, was ordered to be held without bond Saturday in a first appearance hearing in Duval County court. She was wearing an orange-colored jumpsuit Saturday, which typically means an inmate is high-risk.
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Her next court date was set for Sept. 21.
News4Jax has requested Mayo’s arrest report from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
On Thursday, family members identified the young girl as Atarah. A report by the Department of Children and Families states that the 6-year-old was stabbed by her mother and that the mother’s parental rights were previously terminated.
DCF reported that the mother was visiting the child’s home.
Jacksonville police said that on the day of the incident, the child was stabbed with a kitchen knife. Investigators said the woman who stabbed the child was hospitalized with critical injuries after then stabbing herself.
Mayo was discharged from the hospital Friday afternoon.
A total of six people were in the home at the time of the incident, police said.
A GoFundMe account was created to raise money to help the family with funeral costs. The creator wrote that Atarah was a “bright young girl with a contagious smile and a huge heart.”