Nanny found with suspected psychedelic mushrooms accused of fatal stabbing, screwdriver attack on family

A 35-year-old nanny was charged with murder and denied bond after authorities say she fatally stabbed an elderly grandfather multiple times while she was caring for a 3-year-old inside a Michigan home over the weekend.

Samantha Rae Booth appeared to have a “manic” episode when the child’s grandfather came by for a welfare check, Royal Oak police said. 

Officials said Booth not only killed the 83-year-old man but also fled from responding police, attacked another family member with a screwdriver, stripped naked and was found with suspected psychedelic mushrooms and marijuana in her purse, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported.

Booth was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree child abuse, assault and three counts of resisting, assaulting or obstructing police. The child abuse charge stems from the fact that the alleged murder happened in front of a child, the judge said, according to the station.

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According to police, the horrific incident began when the child’s mother, who was out of town on Friday, asked her father to check on her daughter as she was being cared for by the nanny. When she did not receive an update, the mother sent the child’s uncle to the home. 

Police said that when the uncle entered the home, he heard noises coming from the basement. Upon going downstairs, he found the nanny in a “manic” state covered in blood, and the child’s grandfather, David Ong, lying on the floor with severe injuries. Ong received emergency medical care but ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

The uncle then grabbed the child, who was also in the basement, and tried to escape. He repeatedly fended off attacks from the nanny as he made his way out of the home, police said. 

Booth allegedly followed them with a screwdriver, but the uncle and child eventually took shelter in a nearby home until police arrived.

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Officials said Booth allegedly stopped chasing the uncle, dropped the screwdriver and stripped off her clothes before fleeing from responding police. She was reportedly found with blood on her hands and detained after a brief foot pursuit. Although she initially tried to escape, police said she was quickly apprehended.

The child and uncle sustained minor injuries and were taken to Corewell Hospital for evaluation, where they were treated and released shortly afterward, police said.

Authorities said Booth had looked after the child for two years previously without incident, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.

“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 in a statement.

Ong’s daughter, Kelley, shared a statement in a post on Facebook Sunday: “My father, David Ong, died tragically on Friday evening while protecting his cherished 3 year old granddaughter. The loss is immeasurable. Anyone who knows my dad knows that he is a gentle giant – a man of incredible kindness, love and faith. I’ve often said he is simply the best man I know.”

“He was a hero on Friday, but to me, he’s always been my hero.”