Joliet stabbing: Police investigate, community shaken after 2-year-old stabbed to death by 6-year-old brother; DCFS notified

JOLIET, Ill. (WLS) – Even Joliet police officers are shaken by this investigation.

Detectives and officials from the Ministry of Children and Families are trying to determine how and why a six-year-old boy could stab his little brother with a kitchen knife.

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An eerie gloom hangs over Fairway Drive, a perfectly normal block in a single-family home neighborhood in Joliet.

As people browsed for wares at a nearby flea market on a Saturday afternoon, most were still unwilling or unsure how to talk about what had happened Friday night at this family's home a few doors down.

“It's bad. It's hard to process and I just hope for the best for the family,” said neighbor Giovanni.

Police said the family – a mother and grandmother – were shaken.

Around 5 p.m. on Friday, police said, they rushed to the block in response to a mother's panicked 911 call.

Investigators said she had just found her two-year-old son stabbed multiple times with a kitchen knife by her six-year-old older son.

“In our opinion, everyone involved in this incident is a victim. There is just such a great level of humanity in incidents like this, both for the people and their families who were directly involved in this incident and, frankly, for our police officers who are responding. We are all human and this has definitely taken a toll on everyone involved,” said Joliet Police Sergeant Dwayne English.

DCF coordinated with Will County Health Department Screening Assessment Support Services to transport the 6-year-old by ambulance to a local hospital for psychiatric evaluation.

Giovanni lives right next door and said good things about the family.

“They are adorable. The children are adorable,” said Giovanni.

Like most people there, he really doesn't know what to say.

“This is hard to process because I also have a little six-year-old,” he said.

That's why Youth and Family Services of Illinois came out with doughnuts and coffee on Saturday morning.

“You just can't imagine how someone feels about this. That's why I say we just want to be present here and provide comfort to the community in any way we can,” says Jaron Nabors, outreach supervisor for Illinois Department of Youth and Family Services.

A handshake, maybe a hug, and a cup of coffee can ease the painful confusion about why police say a little boy killed his little brother.

“We're always looking for why,” English said. “Those are answers we hope to have, but we may never get them just because of the difficulties that accompany the investigation.”

Investigators said the boy's mother and family are cooperating with police.

It's an incredibly delicate situation.

So far, the police have not given any indication as to whether this could lead to criminal charges, if at all.