Mother found dead in Florida apartment fire had been stabbed in 'horrific incident'

A mother found dead in an apartment blaze Monday night was not killed in the fire but had been stabbed multiple times, while her baby also died and two other young children were critically injured, authorities in Florida said Tuesday.

The death of the 30-year-old woman, who has not been identified, is being investigated as a homicide, police in Daytona Beach said.

Three children – a baby less than 1 year old, a 4-year-old and a 5-year-old – were rushed to hospitals, where the baby also died, Daytona Beach Police Deputy Chief Jennifer Whittet said. The other two children are in critical condition. It wasn't immediately clear how the children were injured.

"This is a horrific incident. We are literally two days out from a holiday that centers around family, and this is what we’re here dealing with this morning," Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young told reporters.

Police and firefighters responded to the Countryside Apartments shortly before midnight on Monday. The apartment was located in the building that also housed the laundry room.

First responders found the three children and their dead mother inside the residence, the deputy chief said. When a medical examiner arrived and was able to move the mother's body, it was discovered she had been "stabbed multiple times," Young said.

The baby was found in a crib, Young said.

"The youngest child, just under the age of 1, was worked on for quite sometime and was pronounced deceased at the hospital," Whittet said.

The State Fire Marshal was called in to investigate the cause of the fire. The homicide remains under investigation, Whittet said.