Mum, 22, slit throats of her 3 children with chilling five-word message to husband

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Police found Kailey Erhart, 22, covered in blood and holding a kitchen knife to her throat before they discovered three children on the floor of a bedroom

Dan Grennan Audience Writer

08:12, 10 Aug 2026

Kailey Erhart is yet to enter a plea(Image: KFYR)

A mum has been accused of knifing her three children in a frenzied attack. Kailey Erhart allegedly killed her two daughters Morgan, three, and five-month-old Avaat her home in Mandan, North Dakota on Thursday evening (August 6), according to an affidavit obtained by local media.

The 22-year-old is also alleged to have stabbed her one-year-old son, Colton, but he miraculously survived after undergoing extensive surgery.

Before the horrifying incident, Erhart is alleged to have sent a video to her estranged husband Cameron telling him to "say goodbye to your kids". The mother was alleged to be holding one of her children with a pistol on her hip.

She is also said to have chased Cameron and her children's grandmother out of her home with a knife, according to the affidavit. When the police arrived, they said they found Erhart covered in blood and holding a knife to her own throat.

[The kids were found on a bedroom floor]

The kids were found on a bedroom floor

The officers followed a trail of blood to a bedroom and found the three children lying on the floor. They were unresponsive and had wounds on their necks, the court filing said.

Erhart was arrested at the scene and is now facing nine charges, including two counts of murder, one court of attempted murder and multiple counts of aggravated assault and terrorizing. She is yet to enter a plea.

The mother's bail was set at $3million, according to Burleigh Morton Detention Center inmate records reviewed by the Daily Mail. A formal no-contact order has been enacted, preventing Erhart from contacting the surviving child or family members.

Her preliminary hearing and arraignment have been set for October 6. Police said the mother and father were in the middle of a separation at the time of the alleged attack. He is said to have planned to file for divorce.

Erhart also appears to have suffered mental health issues and admitted to struggling with postpartum depression after Morgan's birth three years ago.

[Erhart was found covered in blood]

Erhart was found covered in blood(Image: Burleigh County)

She wrote on Facebook in April 2023: "This last month and a half have definitely been some of the hardest times I have been through. I love Morgan to pieces and I'm so glad she's here, but my postpartum depression has definitely kicked my butt at times.

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"Sometimes I feel so alone and stuck like nobody is there for me and I have nobody to talk to and sometimes I wish I would have waited to have Morgan. It's definitely been a wild ride considering I've felt so depressed and I thought Morgan would be better off with me gone, and other times like I don't know where I'd be without her."

When life is difficult, Samaritans are available day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.

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