Police said Tatiana Maxwell was arrested after being treated at a South Side hospital.
CHICAGO — A 25-year-old woman has been charged with first-degree murder after police said an infant girl was stabbed to death Friday morning inside a Gage Park home on the Southwest Side.
Tatiana Maxwell, of Chicago, was charged Sunday in the death of Nyhnia Stovall, police said. The case moved from a death investigation to a murder charge after officers recovered a knife and arrested Maxwell at the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she was treated for injuries.
Police said the stabbing happened about 7:20 a.m. Friday in the 3000 block of West 59th Street. Investigators said Maxwell stabbed the baby inside a residence, then jumped from an upper-level window and was injured. The baby was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. “No other injuries were reported,” police said in an initial account of the case.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified the child as Nyhnia Stovall. Some early reports described her as an infant, while police did not immediately release a full age in their Sunday charge announcement. Investigators said a knife was recovered at the home. Police did not immediately confirm Maxwell’s relationship to the child or release a possible motive.
The case drew a large emergency response to the residential block near 59th Street. One witness told a local television station that he saw officers place children in a squad car before more police vehicles and ambulances arrived. He said he later saw a woman hit the ground after falling from above, though he did not see where she jumped from.
Maxwell was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center after the fall and was later stabilized, police said. Officers arrested her there. The charge announced Sunday means the case is expected to move next into bond court, where prosecutors can outline allegations and a judge can decide detention conditions.
Police have not released further details about who was inside the home, who called 911 or what led up to the stabbing. The investigation remained active Sunday as detectives worked to complete reports and gather statements.
Author note: Last updated May 17, 2026.