51-year-old woman stabbed to death in Rehovot; son arrested

Suspect, 21, said to have history of mental illness but police say neither he nor the family were known to authorities

A 51-year-old woman was stabbed to death on Friday evening in the central city of Rehovot.

Police said they arrested her 21-year-old son at the apartment where the woman was found, and took him for questioning.

It was suspected that the son, who had a history of mental illness, stabbed his mother repeatedly, Hebrew-language media reported.

However police told the Haaretz daily that the son was not known to social services for his mental illness. Additionally they said there had been no previous reports of domestic violence.

“We do not know exactly what happened and are investigating the whole picture. There have been no complaints in the past, and we are completely unfamiliar with this family,” said police commander Dudi Miron. “As far as we know, the son is not known to mental health services.”

A neighbor of the woman, named only as Michal, told the newspaper that although she had not heard anything, another neighbor heard screams and called the police.

However the suspect apparently knocked on the neighbor’s door and said that he and his sister had been playing a prank that involved recordings of screams, and they should not call the police.

The neighbor apparently cancelled the call to the police, but they arrived on the scene in any case and the woman’s body was discovered.