LAS VEGAS, NV – A harrowing incident unfolded in Las Vegas, with chilling details emerging surrounding the murder of a 3-year-old girl, allegedly at the hands of her babysitter. Marketta Phillips, 41, faces charges after authorities say she fatally stabbed Journei Ross and wrote a chilling message on the wall using the child’s blood.
Police received a frantic 911 call from Journei’s father, Jeremy Ross, early Wednesday morning. Ross returned home from work around 3:30 a.m. to discover his daughter lifeless and his roommate, Phillips, sitting in the kitchen surrounded by knives, according to local authorities. In a state of shock, Ross found the horrific message, “Everybody who played me is cursed,” smeared on the wall.
While making desperate attempts to save his daughter’s life, Ross pleaded with the 911 operator, expressing disbelief and horror at the scene. Journei, described as a vibrant child on the autism spectrum, was discovered with multiple stab wounds to her upper body, authorities said.
Local law enforcement reports that Phillips, during interrogations, confessed to the attack, stating she “snapped” and targeted the child as a means to spite Ross. After the attack, Phillips reportedly left the vicinity on foot, only to be apprehended shortly after near the apartment complex, still bearing bloodstains.
Responding officers were met with resistance when attempting to detain her, requiring the use of a taser, authorities reported. Inside the apartment, investigators found several bloody weapons along with unsettling notes reflecting deep-seated grievances against perceived injustices in her life.
Witnesses to Phillips and Ross’s one-year cohabitation describe a seemingly normal arrangement without prior indications of instability. “I didn’t know she was a crazy case,” Ross lamented, recounting his shock over the incident. Both he and Journei’s mother, Phalan Whitson, are now grappling with the devastating loss.
Whitson, who shared custody of Journei with Ross, is left mourning her daughter, whom she described as full of joy and light. On the day of the tragic event, Whitson encountered Phillips for the first time, a woman she never expected to meet under such circumstances. Whitson voiced her sorrow and longing for justice, stating fervently, “I deserve justice.”
As the legal proceedings move forward, Phillips is being held without bail and is set to appear in court again soon. The shocking murder leaves a family in mourning and a community seeking answers while the father and mother of the young victim remember her vibrant spirit and call for justice in her memory.