A mother, from Maryland, USA, is accused of attempting to cut off the head of her autistic 11-year-old son.
Kristina Petrie, 46, of Aspen Hill, Maryland, was charged with attempted first-degree murder and first- and second-degree child abuse after her son told police that she held a bow saw against his neck and cut him with it.
On March 12, 2018, after the boy arrived home from school, he told police that he entered his home and saw his brother crying on the couch. He said his mother, Kristina, was crying and laughing. He said he then went upstairs to play a game. At this point, his mother, holding a bow saw, approached him and asked why he wasn't doing his homework yet. The boy said that he would start his homework at 4.45pm. But Kristina raised the bow saw and blocked him from leaving the room. He said he wound up in a kneeling position and Kristina "jammed" the bow saw against his neck, dragging it back and forth several times.