Alfreda Giedrojc murders 6-month-old granddaughter, Vivian Summers, with sledgehammer, knife
An Illinois grandmother has been charged with murdering her granddaughter after she allegedly hit the infant with a sledgehammer and then slit her throat.
Alfreda Giedrojc
Alfreda Giedrojc, age 61, is being held without bail after a court appearance, said Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office.
She was charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 6-month-old granddaughter, Simonton said.
The South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force identified the girl as Vivian Summers.
The girl’s father brought her to Giedrojc’s home while he helped with repairs on a nearby home, Simonton told the press.
“Her father and grandfather had stepped out of the grandparents’ house for a short time when this horrific event took place,” Oak Lawn police said in a written statement on the death.
While her husband was away, Giedrojc laid the child on the floor, pulled a sledgehammer from a nearby closet and swung it down on her head and body several times. She then picked the baby up and used a carving knife to slit her throat when she was still alive, Simonton said.
“I have never seen anything like this. It’s a tragedy,” Oak Lawn Police Chief Michael Murray said at a news conference. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. This is going to be a very difficult time for everybody.”
Giedrojc was being held without bond at the Cermak Hospital in Cook County Jail, for continuing observation.
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