ROYAL OAK, MI — New details have emerged about a deadly stabbing that happened Friday in Royal Oak.
Officers were called at 9:30 p.m. to a home in the 4300 block of Sheridan Drive on a report of a man calling for help.
They found 35-year-old Samantha Rae Booth, of Chesterfield, outside the home “with blood on her hands” and arrested her after a brief foot chase, according to police.
Inside the home, officers found 83-year-old David Ong, of Bloomfield Hills, stabbed to death in the basement, according to police.
Police said the incident started at 7:50 p.m. that night when Ong was asked by his daughter, who is the homeowner, to check on his granddaughter at the home. Police said his granddaughter was left in the care of a nanny while his daughter was out of town.
When the daughter failed to hear back from Ong in a timely manner, she asked her brother-in-law to check on them at the home, police said.
Police said the brother-in-law arrived at the home at roughly 9:25 p.m. that night. Once inside, he heard noises coming from the home’s basement and called out to the nanny, but did not get a response, police said.
He then found the nanny, identified as Booth, in a “manic state” covered in blood and his father-in-law, Ong, lying on the floor suffering from multiple stab wounds, police said.
Police said he picked up the child and ran out of the basement, trying to call 911. While fleeing the home, police said he repeatedly fended off attacks from Booth, who continued chasing him outside the home while armed with a screwdriver, police said.
The man and child eventually found a group of people who brought them into their home and called 911, police said.
Police said Booth quit chasing the man and child and stripped off all her clothing and dropped the screwdriver. That’s when officers arrived and arrested Booth as she tried running away, police said.
The man and child suffered minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were treated and released, police said.
Investigators believe they found psychedelic mushrooms and marijuana in Booth’s purse, but it was not immediately clear if she was under the influence during the attack.
Booth was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree child abuse, assault with a dangerous weapon and three counts of resisting/obstructing police. She was placed in jail and denied bond. Her next court date is scheduled for Nov. 7.
She faces up to life in prison for the first-degree murder charge.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family as they cope with this tragic and senseless act of violence. No family should ever have to endure such loss, and we are keeping them in our thoughts,” Royal Oak Police Chief Michael Moore said.