A Nevada babysitter has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a three-year-old toddler to death in Las Vegas. Police discovered the child, Journei Ross, with multiple stab wounds at the Villa Del Sol apartment complex on Wednesday morning.
The suspect, 41-year-old Marketta Phillips, was taken into custody shortly after and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on murder charges with a deadly weapon, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
“She didn’t deserve this,” Jeremy Ross, Journei’s father, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “She was defenseless. She deserved to live.”
RELATED STORIES
A late-night shift turned into every parent’s worst nightmare for Ross. Returning home from work around 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, he immediately sensed something was off—his babysitter, Phillips, appeared dazed.
But the true horror unfolded moments later when he stepped into another room, finding bloodied knives and his three-year-old daughter, Journei, gravely wounded on the bed.
In a desperate attempt to save her, Ross performed CPR while calling 911, frantically reporting that the babysitter had attacked his child.
When authorities arrived at the Las Vegas apartment, they found Ross and his fatally injured daughter, while Phillips had fled the scene on foot. The three-year-old was rushed to Sunrise Hospital after officers attempted life-saving measures at the scene, but she was later pronounced dead.
Las Vegas police quickly launched a search around the apartment complex and found 41-year-old Phillips, who was taken into custody without incident, according to Metro Homicide Lt. Robert Price.
Journei’s mother, Phalan Whitson, who shared custody with Ross, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that her daughter was non-verbal and on the autism spectrum but communicated through music and sign language. She had last seen her little girl on Monday morning.
READ ALSO: ‘This is the honor of a lifetime’: Will Smith says as he gets street named after him
“Why is this world so evil?” Whitson told the outlet. “She needs to be put away.”
Ross revealed that he had an on-again, off-again romantic relationship with Phillips, clarifying her connection to the family.
“She watched Journei numerous times,” Ross told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I didn’t know she was a crazy nut case.”
Just a week before the fatal incident, Phillips had been placed on a 72-hour involuntary mental health crisis hold, known as a “Legal 2000,” after authorities deemed her a danger to herself or others. Despite this, she was still entrusted with caring for three-year-old Journei.
Phillips made her first court appearance on Thursday, where Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Suzan Baucum ordered her to be held without bail, citing probable cause for the arrest.
Neighbors expressed shock and disbelief, struggling to comprehend how such a tragedy could unfold in their community.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill addressed the brutal killing on Wednesday, revealing that officers described the horrifying scene Ross encountered—returning home to find the babysitter “covered in blood,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Las Vegas Metro Homicide Lt. Price confirmed that Phillips is the sole suspect in the brutal murder.
While she appeared to have lived in the home, that detail remains unverified. Authorities continue to investigate the tragic incident.
“There’s no threat to the public,” Price said. “This is an isolated incident. It’s just a very tragic and unfortunate incident.”
