Overview

• Authorities say Gwendolyn Girard, 35, allegedly drove her 12-year-old daughter to Cecil Webb Wildlife Management Area in Punta Gorda and stabbed her in the face and neck before leaving her under a pile of brush.
• Passersby discovered the injured girl and deputies noted defensive wounds on her hands; she was treated at a nearby hospital and is in stable condition.
• Investigators found Girard’s gold-colored van in North Fort Myers, arrested her the next day and say she confessed to the attack and led them to the knife.
• Girard faces charges of aggravated battery and aggravated child abuse and is being held on a $750,000 bond pending extradition to the Charlotte County Jail.
• Sheriff Bill Prummell called the incident one of the most disturbing in his 33-year career as the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office continues its investigation.