Giving birth can be a traumatic experience. Things can be more complicated if the pregnancy is unplanned, or if a mother has mental health issues or lack of resources, among other factors. But recently, a mom allegedly killed her newborn baby by stabbing him with a letter opener.
A woman, An T. Ngo, was arrested after giving birth at her home in Easley, South Carolina. She has since been charged with the homicide of her newborn son. Let’s take a closer look at the details of this disturbing case.
Police and a medical crew responded to a call in early March 2025.
On the evening of March 7, Ngo’s boyfriend called 911 after she gave birth at home, WHNS Fox Carolina reported. The Pickens County EMS and the Easley Police Department responded to their apartment complex at roughly 8:30 p.m. There, officers found a newborn baby boy with “serious” injuries; he was declared dead at the scene.
Allegedly, the mom murdered her newborn baby with a letter opener.
Police alleged that while Ngo birthed the baby, she “repeatedly stabbed him with a long metal letter opener,” according to an arrest warrant, per WHNS. After delivery, she allegedly cut the umbilical cord and continued stabbing the baby, per People. She then placed the body in a plastic bag and placed it in a different room.
“It was very apparent that Ms. Ngo is the one who tragically murdered this child,” Easley Police Chief Brandon Liner said during a news conference. “And it is at that time we went ahead and applied for a warrant for a homicide by child abuse.”
The police chief said it was among the worst cases he’s seen.
“I’ve been doing this for two and a half decades, and I have never seen anything this gruesome,” Liner said during the March 11 press conference. “I’ve never seen anything this bad.”
As of writing, the baby’s official cause and manner of death have not been released.
After receiving medical treatment, Ngo was arrested.
Ngo was rushed to a hospital for medical treatment. On March 11, police arrested her after she was released. Ngo made her first court appearance that same day, when which she was charged with homicide by child abuse and denied bail.
Her next court appearance was set for May 15.
Police vowed to ‘make sure’ the baby ‘will receive justice.’
At the press conference, Chief Liner said the investigation was “very fresh” and did not take questions from the media.
“We will speak for this baby,” he vowed. “We will make sure that this baby will receive justice. It didn’t have a chance at life. Not long. So it’s our job to make sure that this baby does receive that.”
