Brooklyn Mom, Kids Stabbed to Death in Staten Island Hotel

Photos courtesy of the NYPD

STATEN ISLAND, NY — Swarms of NYPD vehicles and helicopters were on the hunt Wednesday afternoon for 23-year-old Brooklyn resident Michael Sykes, wanted on suspicion of stabbing 26-year-old Rebecca Cutler (of East Flatbush, Brooklyn) and her three children at the Ramada Inn on North Gannon Avenue.

Police found Cutler and three kids — a 2-year-old boy, a 1-year-old girl named Ziana and a 4-month-old girl named Maliyah — bleeding out with multiple stab wounds to their bodies around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday.

Cutler and her two little girls were pronounced dead soon after, according to the NYPD.

Only the 2-year-old boy survived. He was listed in stable condition as of 4:15 p.m., police said.

Police immediately named Sykes as a person of interest “wanted for questioning” in the stabbing investigation.

Staten Island Live and DNAinfo both cited police sources saying that at least one of Cutler’s children belonged to Sykes. (Maliyah’s last name was listed by police as Sykes, while Ziana’s last name was listed as Cutler.)

Sykes, a reported resident of the Howard Houses in East New York near Bed-Stuy, was still on the loose late Wednesday afternoon.

“We do not have anyone in custody,” a police spokesman said.

New York Daily News photographer Todd Maisel reported that cops were searching for Sykes at the ferry terminal, on suspicion that he may be headed to Brooklyn.

Last July, Sykes and Cutler changed their relationship status to ”married” on Facebook. Later that month, Sykes posted a photo of an ultrasound to his Facebook page, with the caption: ”My daughter Maliyah.” He tagged Cutler in the photo. Cutler commented: “Our princess.”

Once Maliyah was born, circa September, Sykes and Cutler both posted photos of her to their Facebook pages — some with her older siblings.

According to Staten Island Live, the Ramada Inn on North Gannon where police found the bodies Wednesday is one of four hotels on Staten Island that the city uses to temporarily house the homeless.

The NYPD offered a reward of $2,500 for information regarding the Ramada Inn homicide. Tipsters were asked to call 1-800-577-TIPS.