Mother allegedly stabbed 5-year-old daughter to death in Chicago during another blood-soaked weekend

The mother of a 5-year-old girl in Chicago has been charged with stabbing her daughter to death during another blood-soaked weekend in the Windy City.

What are the details?

Simone Austin, 27, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with 5-year-old Serenity Arrington's death on Saturday, according to a report by WBBM-TV.

Police said they received a call to the East Garfield Park home on Chicago's west side, and when they arrived, they found Serenity suffering from multiple stab wounds. Neighbors had reportedly been attempting to assist her before paramedics came to the scene.

The young girl was quickly transported to Stroger Hospital of Cook County, but she died a few minutes later.

WFLD-TV reported that Austin appeared to be waiting for officers when they arrived on the scene Saturday morning. Police arrested her immediately and took her into custody.

Neighbors said that the family had just moved into the area this summer and appeared to be happy. They were shocked to hear of the news, and thus far no motive has been assigned in the case.

"It's just sad, just out of nowhere. I seen her just yesterday and today in the morning she's gone. It's just sad," neighbor Jose Maljar said.

Austin is reportedly undergoing mental health evaluations, and detectives are looking into whether she had a history of mental illness.

What's the background?

The atrocity is another in a weekend that saw 49 people shot and seven killed in Chicago, as the city continues to experience a surge in violent crime this year.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that, according to police department statistics, shootings and murders are up 50% in Chicago from last year.

Through Sept. 20, there have been 560 murders in the city compared to 374 from the same time in 2019, and shootings are up to 2,300 compared to 1,500 last year.