BELLAIRE - A 33-year-old Bellaire woman underwent emergency surgery early Tuesday morning after sustaining multiple stab wounds, according to Bellaire Police Chief Mike Kovalyk.
Kovalyk said that his department was informed about the incident by the Belmont County 911 emergency system after one of the woman's sons called to report his mother had been stabbed repeatedly by an unknown assailant sometime before 5:30 a.m., Tuesday.
"She was taken to Wheeling Hospital and had surgery this morning. We're not aware of her condition and have no description of the suspect, because we have been unable to talk with her yet," Kovalyk said Tuesday. "Her children were in the apartment with her (at the time of the incident), and one of her sons called it in."
The family lives in an apartment in the 5200 block of Atchison Road in the north end of Bellaire.
Bellaire officers called for assistance from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation to assist with the crime scene, and one BCII investigator is staying on to assist with the investigation.
"This was a brutal attack," Kovalyk said. "The victim lost a lot of blood, and we are especially concerned for the area because it is public housing, and there are a lot of families with small children living nearby.
"We are working very hard to find who the person is that is responsible."
Kovalyk said he believes the children range in age from 12-18. He reported they were unharmed during the attack.
The chief was unsure whether the victim was asleep when the attack began, but did confirm the 17 stab wounds she suffered were all to her upper body.
Hughes may be reached at mhughes@timesleaderonline.com.
