NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (WABC) — A family is hopeful for the recovery of a 7-year-old girl, nearly four months after she was stabbed more than a dozen times by her own grandmother.
Sofia Almonte, 7, used to sing and dance but has not made a sound since she was stabbed 15 times.
“She loved to play piano,” Sofia’s father Jose Almonte said in an Eyewitness News exclusive interview. “She loved to be around people. She’s the most loving, caring, grateful little girl that I have seen. She’s amazing.”
The disturbing incident unfolded on a cold morning in February. Sofia and her younger sister were sleeping over at their grandmother’s house in the Bronx, which they did often. But on this particular visit, daylight broke with bloodshed.
According to police, the grandmother slashed Sofia’s throat and pierced vital organs with a kitchen knife. By some miracle the first grader survived.
Sofia spent two months in a coma. Doctors told the family she would never talk or move again.
On Monday, Sofia was transferred to the Children’s Hospital in New Brunswick for long-term therapy. To the family’s absolute delight, she sat in a wheelchair. They call it another miracle.
“I got a lot of hope,” Almonte said. “We are praying every day. Every second.”
The grandmother, now at Riker’s, is Jose Almonte’s mother, which leaves him choked between loyalty to her and devotion to his daughter. He has visited his mother but has not asked her about the attack. It is too painful.
“My mother is not a criminal. Something happened that day. Devil. I don’t know. She was a loving grandmother,” he said.
So far, Sofia has defeated the odds, but there’s a long road ahead. She breaths and eats through tubes and at the moment, does not recognize anyone.
The family has started a GoFundMe page for support.
“I don’t know when, but I know she’s going to be Sofia again,” Jose Almonte said.
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
