Seven-Year-Old Girl Dies Following Sidewalk Stabbing in Chicago

A seven-year-old girl died after being attacked with an edged weapon at midday on Saturday, October 3, along South Cottage Grove Avenue near East 86th Street in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood. According to consulted sources, the child was walking along the sidewalk when an unknown woman approached from behind and stabbed her multiple times at approximately 11:55 a.m.

Following the assault, the victim was rushed to Comer Children's Hospital, where medical staff confirmed her death resulting from the severity of the wounds. Witnesses and bystanders on the scene intervened immediately to block the suspect's escape, restraining her on the sidewalk until police units arrived. During the physical restraint, the 48-year-old suspect sustained non-fatal injuries for which she received hospital care prior to being transferred into official police custody.

Discrepancies remain among consulted sources regarding the victim's companion at the time of the incident: local reports based on relatives' accounts indicate she was accompanied by her older sister, whereas other reports state she was walking with her mother. Similarly, official identification records from the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office list the deceased child as Edi Mari Hernandez Chacon, while accounts tracing her background to Venezuela refer to her as Edimar Carreno, originating from Villa Rosa in the Garcia municipality of Nueva Esparta state.

Investigative records concerning the 48-year-old suspect show prior criminal history in the local judicial system, including a 2024 aggravated battery charge involving a municipal transit bus driver and an outstanding arrest warrant active since February 2025. Preliminary evidence recovered in connection with her detention included two knives found inside her bag and a third knife located along the path of the incident.

The Chicago Police Department, the municipal body tasked with public safety and criminal investigations across the city, took custody of the suspect and remains in charge of the homicide inquiry. Concurrently, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, the official agency overseeing forensic determinations and legal identifications within the county, completed the formal certification of the child's death for pending judicial proceedings.