LONGWOOD, Fla. – A 3-year-old girl was stabbed to death and a man and another girl were injured early Thursday at a Longwood home, according to police.
Longwood police said they were called to a home at 789 Highland Street at 5:40 a.m. Investigators said a 12-year-old girl, who was critically injured in the stabbing, walked to a McDonald’s to get help.
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“It is incredible that this 12-year-old after being injured at the house was able to walk nearly a mile to summon help,” Longwood police Sgt. Derek Chenoweth said. “It speaks volumes about her courage and what it took to get away from danger and find help as quickly as she did. If she wasn’t able to do that, who knows when we would have received the call about this incident.”
Officers said they found the 3-year-old had been stabbed to death at the home. Investigators said a man was also found at the home critically injured from a stabbing.
Police have identified the man as Juan Bravo-Torres, 39, the father of the two girls. Investigators said Bravo-Torres’ stab wounds appear to be self-inflicted and they have identified him as a person of interest in their investigation.
News 6 found an arrest report from 2011, showing the same name and date of birth as Bravo-Torres’. The reports says he was charged with domestic battery in Seminole County.
According to the report, the victim, in that case, was Bravo-Torres’ live-in companion and the mother of his children. Reports show she told police he came home intoxicated before he punched her in the neck following an argument.
Bravo-Torres’ prosecution was deferred after entering a diversion program, though documents show he completed it a year later.
Bravo-Torres and the 12-year-old were rushed to the hospital.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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