Mina Nazari (Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office)
A 34-year-old woman in California has been arrested for allegedly killing her 4-year-old daughter, stabbing the little girl to death inside their apartment and leaving the child to be found by her father.
Mina Nazari was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with a slew of felonies, including one count of murder with a dangerous weapon and one count of child abuse resulting in death in the slaying of Sana Akram, court documents reviewed by Law&Crime show.
In a copy of the criminal complaint, prosecutors allege that Nazari killed the child “willfully, unlawfully, and feloniously and with malice aforethought,” meaning that they believe the fatal stabbing was premeditated.
According to a press release from the Modesto Police Department, MPD officers responded at about 12:48 p.m. on Saturday to an emergency call about a potential assault at the Crown Ridge Apartments in the 3900 block of Scenic Drive.
First responders found the child dead. A second child was found unharmed.
However, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday announced that in addition to allegedly fatally stabbing her daughter, Nazari also allegedly tried to kill her 10-year-old son. Authorities have also charged her with one count each of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and permitting a child to suffer under circumstances likely to cause great bodily harm.
According to a report from Sacramento, California, CBS affiliate KOVR, the victim’s father, Fahim Akram, found his young daughter suffering from fatal stab wounds and called 911.
Investigators had not disclosed any possible motive for the killing as of Wednesday evening.
The Modesto Bee reported Nazari was born in Iran and came to the U.S. as a refugee.
Gulshan Yusufzai, the executive director of the Muslim American Society Social Services Foundation, told KOVR that individuals from South Asia are particularly unlikely to seek professional mental health assistance.
A family friend told KOVR that Nazari had been struggling with depression and mental illness before the alleged incidents unfolded on Saturday.
“Many times, there’s a stigma associated with going out of the family asking for mental health supportive services,” Yusufzai told the station. “If she is depressed, if she is not taking care of herself, if you are able to see those things happening, she’s not sleeping well – these are all signs that she’s not doing well and she needs support.”
A GoFundMe page started by a family friend is accepting donations for the victim’s funeral and memorial services.
Jail records show that Nazari is being held without bond and is set to appear in Stanislaus Superior Court for a bond hearing on Oct. 24.
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