A South Carolina grandmother says her 6-year-old grandson took the brunt of a knife attack while shielding his little sister from their mother.
Jan Marie Mull, 59, told the US Sun that Dawson, 6, likely suffered more severe injuries than Hazel, 3, because he jumped between the toddler and the blade. “The only thing I can visualize why Dawson had more injuries than Hazel was Dawson was trying to protect Hazel,” she told the outlet.
Mull, whose deceased son Blake was Dawson’s father, said medical experts are now considering amputation for the boy. “The medicine keeps him knocked out. They are looking at amputation,” she shared.
The children were discovered alone and covered in blood on Sept. 26 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, only because Dawson had called his grandmother to complain that he was hungry, prompting Mull to request a wellness check.
Taylor Gosnell, 35, allegedly stabbed her two children nearly 50 times during the rampage, according to authorities. Both children sustained brutal wounds, including “lacerations so deep they cut to the bone,” the solicitor’s office said during bond court, according to WCBD News 2.
Investigators said Gosnell returned home shortly after police arrived and appeared distressed. When officers placed her in an ambulance for a mental health evaluation, she attempted to flee and had to be handcuffed to a stretcher, the solicitor’s office stated.
Mull said the attack left her struggling to process what happened to her grandchildren. “I couldn’t breathe. Honest to God, I could not breathe. I was freaking floored,” she said.
Despite her shock, Mull said she was not surprised by Dawson’s protective instinct. “Dawson’s got that kind of love for everybody. He takes after my son in that department. I think he was just probably trying to protect her,” she continued.
The grandmother noted that she had never observed signs of abuse in the household prior to the incident. “Never known [Taylor] to beat or abuse these kids” and never saw “[n]o bruises, nothing. I don’t know what happened,” she added.
Both children are currently in stable condition following the attack, according to the solicitor’s office.
Gosnell is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 12.
