MEMPHIS – The mother of four young children found stabbed to death last summer in their southeast Shelby County apartment was indicted Thursday on 28 felony counts, including first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.
A Shelby County Grand Jury returned the indictments against 29-year-old Shanynthia Gardner who was arrested at the scene last July 1 at the family apartment near Hacks Cross Road and East Shelby Drive.
She is being held without bond in Shelby County Women’s Jail East.
Shelby County Sheriff’s Office investigators said the victims – son Tallen, 4, and daughters Sya, 3, Sahvi, 2, and Yazhi, 5 months – were found dead at the scene from severe stab wounds. Two children were found in a bedroom and two in the living room where the youngest was found in her car seat.
Gardner’s 7-year-old son escaped from the apartment and ran to neighbors for help.
She was indicted on four counts each of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, murder in the perpetration of aggravated child abuse, aggravated child neglect involving a deadly weapon, murder in the perpetration of aggravated child neglect involving a deadly weapon, aggravated child endangerment involving a deadly weapon and murder in the perpetration of aggravated child endangerment involving a deadly weapon.
The case is being handled by Deputy Dist. Atty. Gen. Jennifer Nichols and by Eric Christensen, chief prosecutor of the DA’s Special Victims Unit which prosecutes cases of child sexual abuse and severe physical abuse of child victims; rape and aggravated rape of adult victims, and abuse of elderly and vulnerable adults. SVU reviews child-victim cases with Shelby County’s multi-agency Child Protection Investigative Team.
