Miami, Florida: At approximately 8:45 pm on August 23 officers were dispatched to a residence on a report that multiple people had been stabbed.
38-year-old Evan Bland met officers at the door and was found to be bleeding from stab wounds sustained to his head and neck.
Also injured was a 16-year-old girl who had reportedly sustained stab wounds to her arms. They were both transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment. Their conditions were not disclosed, but they are both expected to recover.
Inside the home, officers discovered a 15-month-old infant identified as Emii Bland, "face-down, unresponsive, inside the bathtub filled with bloody water." She was rushed to Jackson Health North but was pronounced deceased.
The suspect, 38-year-old Precious Leslie Bland was also found just inside the home. "She was taken into custody without incident," and "appeared to have injuries that seemed self-inflicted. She was transported to Jackson Trauma Center" where she received treatment for her injuries until her discharge on September 1.
Bland was arrested on September 2, booked into the Miami Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation facility on September 3, the same day that she made her initial appearance in court.
According to Evan, Bland "was upset, stating that Jesus Christ is coming and COVID is going to kill us all," he told officers. "[She] insisted everyone needed to be baptized and that she was going to baptize everyone in the bathtub."
Bland is said to have then filled a bathtub with water and began with Emii. Bland then held her daughter under the water until she stopped moving.
Evan stated that he and Bland began "struggling" when he became aware of what was happening, trying to get Emii freed from the tub.
Bland called for the teenage daughter and requested that she bring a knife. Not knowing why her mother requested it, she obliged nonetheless, but soon found herself and Evan being attacked.
Neighbors, hearing screams, called the police, and someone from inside the home was also able to make a call for emergency services. Four other children, all under the age of 11 were able to exit the home without injury.
A neighbor, identified as Thelma Sloan by WSVN said that Blank "was not herself when I saw her." Hours earlier, Blank had shown up on her doorstep to issue a warning.
"The way she was talking to me and what she said to me about nobody should take a shot because God had revealed to her that anybody who took a shot was going to hell, and if you had taken one, you had to pray real hard that God would forgive you."
Sloan told WPLG, "She said, 'Ms. Sloan, have you taken a shoot? Please don't take those shots. I got a vision today from God. And he said anybody who take a shot was going to hell.'"
Blank has been charged with second degree murder, two counts of attempted second degree murder and two counts of aggravated child abuse. Her arraignment hearing has been scheduled for 9:30 am on September 23.
A written plea of not guilty was entered on September 7 according to court records despite CBS 4 reporting that, according to officers, Bland allegedly admitted to the crimes during questioning.