FL Woman Accused Of Stabbing Girl In Face, Hiding Child's Body In Brush

PUNTA GORDA, FL — A 35-year-old woman was arrested after stabbing a 12-year-old girl in the face and neck, and trying to hide her body, though the child was still alive, on Monday, according to a Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Deputies responded Monday afternoon to the Cecil Webb Wildlife Management Area after the girl was found with cuts to the face and neck by those passing through the area.

When they found the victim, she was “weak and in need of immediate medical attention,” the sheriff’s office said.

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The girl was only able to tell deputies that the suspect, later identified as Gwendolyn Girard, 35, attacked her with a knife and left her under the brush before leaving in a gold-colored van, the agency said.

The van and Girard were later found in North Fort Myers by members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at the same location. It was towed to impound and she was brought in for questioning.

During this time, the CCSO Major Crimes Unit secured a warrant for Girard’s arrest on charges of aggravated battery and aggravated child abuse.

She confessed to the stabbing and shared the location of the knife used in the attack, the sheriff’s office said.

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